Le Livre de Patisserie Stohrer

Nicolas Stohrer was the pastry chef to Louis XV before opening a shop on the rue Montorgueil, not far from the Louvre. The shop endures to this day, proud of its embrace of classic pastry, now executed under the watchful eye of Jeffrey Cagnes, who takes pride in the superb execution of the patissier’s craft. The book’s cover features Cagnes with a towering Religieuse a l’Ancienne, a centerpiece with a history that stretches back 170 years or so.

Recipes here are detailed and well supported by step-by-step photographs where needed. There are chapters for babas, Saint-Honoré, babkas, fraisiers, éclairs, pavlovas, galettes, puits d’amour, tarts, millefeuilles, Paris-Brest, and bûches, all looking most appealing. And demonstrating in many cases, that old-school can be quite eye-opening.

In French. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.