Le Gout de L'Excellence

This striking volume from the Relais Desserts association celebrates the essential dialogue between raw ingredient and finished pastry. Bringing together nearly ninety recipes from leading figures in French and international patisserie, the book situates technical mastery alongside a deep respect for sourcing. 

Nine immersive reports take readers into the fields, orchards, and dairies that supply the pastry kitchen: citrus groves, rhubarb patches, stone fruit and red berry farms, nut producers, apple and pear orchards, cacao plantations, chestnut harvests, and dairy operations. These profiles underscore the premise that excellence begins long before the chef steps to the bench. 

The recipes themselves range from refined classics to contemporary creations, each designed to showcase the purity, seasonality, and character of its primary ingredient. More than a collection of formulas, this is a collective statement from Relais Desserts on craftsmanship, terroir, and the enduring pursuit of taste.

Contributors are primarily European and include the likes of

• Pierre Herme (France)
• Alain Roux (The UK)
• Luigi Biasetto (Italy)
• Koichi Izumi (Japan)
• John Kraus (The US)
• Jacob Torreblanca (Spain)
• Christophe Renou (Switzerland)

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout. In French.