Synopses & Reviews
A and#8220;culinary guruand#8221; andand#160;author of the award-winning Around My French Table and Baking: From My Home to Yoursand#160;returns withand#160;an exciting collection of simple desserts from French home cooks and chefs With her groundbreaking bestseller Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan changed the way we view French food. Now, in Baking Chez Moi, she explores the fascinating world of French desserts, bringing together a charmingly uncomplicated mix of contemporary recipes, including original creations based on traditional and regional specialties, and drawing on seasonal ingredients, market visits, and her travels throughout the country.
Like the surprisingly easy chocolate loaf cake speckled with cubes of dark chocolate that have been melted, salted, and frozen, which she adapted from a French chefand#8217;s recipe, or the boozy, slow-roasted pineapple, a five-ingredient cinch that she got from her hairdresser, these recipes show the French knack for elegant simplicity. In fact, many are so radically easy that they defy our preconceptions: crackle-topped cream puffs, which are all the rage in Paris; custardy apple squares from Normandy; and an unbaked confection of corn flakes, dried cherries, almonds, and coconut that nearly every French woman knows.
Whether itand#8217;s classic lemon-glazed madeleines, a silky caramel tart, or and#8220;Les Whoopie Pies,and#8221; Dorie puts her own creative spin on each dish, guiding us with the friendly, reassuring directions that have won her legions of ardent fans.
Review
"The steps are simple, the results are stunning!"-
Reader's Digest"Everybody needs a primer...Adorable!"- The Wall Street Journal
"Mathiot's best chapter is "Gâteaux," where she proffers varieties of nut cakes, spice cakes, chocolate cakes, and even the dreaded fruitcake, whose reputation she may singlehandedly redeem. A solid primer for those looking to indulge in homemade classical pastries, this book will inspire would-be bakers to new heights."- Publishers Weekly
Review
Library Journal
Starred 08/01/2014
Acclaimed author Greenspan (Around My French Table)andmdash;who lives part time in Paris and has collaborated with such famous chefs as Pierre Hermandeacute;, Daniel Boulud, and Julia Childandmdash;has learned that some recipes are best left to the pros. While several of Greenspanand#39;s 11 cookbooks feature intricate, show-stopping desserts, her latest focuses on homey baked goods and pared-down versions of traditional French pastries. Home cooks wonand#39;t need beeswax and expensive copper molds to make Greenspanand#39;s canelandeacute;s nor will they be chided for using store-bought puff pastry to make palmiers or pithiviers. All types of dessertsandmdash;crunchy, creamy, cakey, frozen, fruity, and friedandmdash;are included, as are simple accompaniments such as homemade crandegrave;me fraiche, chocolate sauce, and candied fruit. VERDICTCombining everyday desserts with doable versions of extremely popular treats (think macarons, andeacute;clairs, and crackle-top cream puffs), Greenspanand#39;s new collection is an instant classic.
Review
andquot;
My favorite baking book of the season is Dorie Greenspanandrsquo;s Baking Chez Moi. With superb photography of finished dishes and Ms. Greenspanandrsquo;s clear, clean style, this is a book for any level of baker who wants to broaden his or her repertoire.andquot;--Michael Ruhlman for the
Wall Street Journaland#160;andquot;
Approachable and adaptable.andquot;--The New York Timesand#160;andquot;
Greenspan has the gift of clarity and making even the complicated seem doable, which in her hands, it is.andquot;--Corby Kummer for
The Atlanticand#160;andquot;French home baking, despite what you might think, is easy, says baking goddess Dorie Greenspan. All you need are a few high-quality ingredients and a bit of care....nearly
every page promises some useful tips and shortcuts for the avid baker...andquot;--NPR.org
andquot;No matter how much you donandrsquo;t like to bake, arenandrsquo;t good at baking, donandrsquo;t even want to bake andhellip; if you listen to [Dorie] long enough, youandrsquo;ll find yourself hankering to get your hands into some flour, certain even you can whip up some laborious, glorious baked treat.andquot; --Associated Press
andquot;On the page, Greenspan talks as if sheandrsquo;s having coffee with you, about where she found recipes, about the person who gave them to her, and when she might serve them...and#160;The heart of the book is sweets that arenandrsquo;t a bit difficult.andquot;
--Boston Globe
andquot;Bakers across the world rejoice when Dorie Greenspan comes out with a new cookbook.andquot;
--Washington Post
andquot;While a trip to France may not be in everyoneandrsquo;s near future, veteran cookbook author Greenspan takes home bakers on a tour of Paris through her exceptional collection of recipes (divided into chapters including andldquo;Simple Cakes,andrdquo; andldquo;Fancy Cakes,andrdquo; andldquo;Tarts and Galettes,andrdquo; and andldquo;Baby Cakes and Petite Pastriesandrdquo;). French andldquo;cousinsandrdquo; to American recipes such as the andldquo;Fluted Carrot-Tangerine Cake,andrdquo; and the authorandrsquo;s adaptations on French creations such as andldquo;Gandacirc;teau Basque Fantasie,andrdquo; give readers something they wonandrsquo;t find in other baking tomes. While some multistep selections are more suited for the experienced baker, less involved yet equally impressive recipes include a simple plum tart and Nutella-banana panna cotta. Unusual finds like pithiviers, a French pastry named after a city in northern France, are also included. Hefty headnotes and serving notes provide information about recipe origins and traditions. This is an ideal holiday gift.andquot;and#160;
--Publishers Weekly, starred
andquot;Acclaimed author Greenspanandmdash;who lives part time in Paris and has collaborated with such famous chefs as Pierre Hermandeacute;, Daniel Boulud, and Julia Childandmdash;has learned that some recipes are best left to the pros. While several of Greenspanand#39;s 11 cookbooks feature intricate, show-stopping desserts, her latest focuses on homey baked goods and pared-down versions of traditional French pastries. Home cooks wonand#39;t need beeswax and expensive copper molds to make Greenspanand#39;s canelandeacute;s nor will they be chided for using store-bought puff pastry to make palmiers or pithiviers. All types of dessertsandmdash;crunchy, creamy, cakey, frozen, fruity, and friedandmdash;are included, as are simple accompaniments such as homemade crandegrave;me fraiche, chocolate sauce, and candied fruit. VERDICT: Combining everyday desserts with doable versions of extremely popular treats (think macarons, andeacute;clairs, and crackle-top cream puffs), Greenspanand#39;s new collection is an instant classic.andquot;
--Library Journal,and#160;starred
and#160;
Synopsis
From clairs to souffles and macaroons to madeleines, when it comes to desserts, no one does it better than the French. Beautiful, elegant and delicious, French desserts are easy to create at home as only a few basic recipes are needed to make some of the world's most renowned cakes and tarts.
The Art of French Baking is the definitive collection of authentic French pastry and dessert recipes. From Tarte Tatin and Hazelnut Petit Fours to Cherry Tartlets and Choux Buns, it contains more than 350 simple recipes that anyone can follow at home.
The book also includes details of basic equipment and techniques and information on how to troubleshoot common baking problems. Along with beautiful photographs and illustrations throughout, The Art of French Baking is an inspiring collection to celebrate the sweet tastes of France.
The book was translated and edited by Parisian home cook, Clotilde Dusoulier, of the famed food blog chocolateandzucchini.com.
Synopsis
By the author of the award-winning Around My French Table and Baking: From My Home to Yours, an irresistible collection of radically simple desserts from French home cooks and pastry chefs.
About the Author
Ginette Mathiot (1907-1998),
Officier de la Legion d'Honneur, taught three generations how to cook in France and is the ultimate authority on French home cooking. She wrote more than 30 best-selling cookbooks, covering all subjects in French cuisine, including
I Know How to Cook (Phaidon).
Clotilde Dusoulier write the popular blog chocolateandzucchini.com, from her Paris apartment.