The Art of French Pastry

by Jacquy Pfeiffer, Martha Rose Shulman

Overview

Winner of  the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Cookbook, Dessert & Baking

What does it take to perfect a flawless éclair? A delicate yet buttery croissant? To pipe dozens of macarons? The answer is: an intimate knowledge of the fundamentals of pastry. In The Art of French Pastry award-winning pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, cofounder of the renowned French Pastry School in Chicago, gives you just that.

By teaching you how to make everything from pâte à choux to pastry cream, Pfeiffer builds on the basics until you have an understanding of the science behind the ingredients used, how they interact with one another, and what your hands have to do to transform them into pastry. This yields glorious results! Expect to master these techniques and then indulge in exquisite recipes, such as:
 
·      brioche
·      napoléons / Mille-Feuilles
·      cream puffs
·      Alsatian cinnamon rolls / chinois
·      lemon cream tart with meringue teardrops
·      elephant ears / palmiers
·      black forest cake
·      beignets
 
as well as some traditional Alsatian savory treats, including:
 
·    Pretzels
·    Kougelhof
·    Tarte Flambée
·    Warm Alsatian Meat Pie
 
Pastry is all about precision, so Pfeiffer presents us with an amazing wealth of information—lists of necessary equipment, charts on how ingredients react in different environments, and the precise weight of ingredients in grams, with a look at their equivalent in U.S. units—which will help you in all aspects of your cooking.

But in order to properly enjoy your “just desserts,” so to speak; you will also learn where these delicacies originated. Jacquy Pfeiffer comes from a long line of pastry chefs and has been making these recipes since he was a child working in his father’s bakery in Alsace. Sprinkled with funny, charming memories from a lifetime in pastry, this book will have you fully appreciating the hundreds of years of tradition that shaped these recipes into the classics that we know and love, and can now serve to our friends and families over and over again.

The Art of French Pastry, full of gorgeous photography and Pfeiffer’s accompanying illustrations, is a master class in pastry from a master teacher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307959355
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/03/2013
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	217,757
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 9.76(h) x 1.34(d)

About the Author

Jacquy Pfeiffer's career began with an apprenticeship in Strasbourg, Alsace, at the famous Jean Clauss Pâtisserie. In 1995, Pfeiffer cofounded the French Pastry School in Chicago with Chef Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., where their team is devoted to imparting excellence. Pfeiffer has participated in many of the world’s most prestigious pastry competitions, placing in the World Chocolate Masters in Paris in 1996 and at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon, France, in both 1995 and 1997. He was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design for two consecutive years and was inducted into the Académie Culinaire de France in 2003. In 2009, Pfeiffer was featured in Kings of Pastry, a documentary by internationally acclaimed filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus. Shortly after, he was inducted into Dessert Professional’s Pastry Hall of Fame and the Chicago Culinary Museum’s Chefs Hall of Fame. Today, Pfeiffer is the Academic Dean for Student Affairs at the French Pastry School, widely considered one of the leading pastry institutions in the world. 
 
Martha Rose Shulman is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five cookbooks, including The Very Best of Recipes for Health, Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World’s Healthiest Cuisine, Mediterranean Light, Provençal Light, and Entertaining Light. She writes the daily Recipes for Health column for the online New York Times, is a founding contributor of the website Zester Daily, and is the co-owner of the Venice Cooking School in Los Angeles. She has coauthored books with pastry chef Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck, Dean Ornish, and Mark Peel, and has collaborated with the Culinary Institute of America on two books, Culinary Boot Camp and Spain and the World Table. Learn more about Martha at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/21/2013
Pfeiffer, who grew up in his family-owned Alsatian bakery, apprenticed under a master pastry chef, and founded the prestigious French Pastry school, shares his considerable knowledge and offers expert guidance through every step of every recipe. Pfeiffer starts with the fundamentals, from simple syrup and pastry cream to brioche and ganache, basics that must be mastered before tackling recipes in later chapters. Recipes not only detail each step but also explain the “why” behind combining certain ingredients first, using certain tools over others, and baking at the right temperatures. Photographs demonstrate tricky matters such as knowing when you’ve achieved the right consistency for choux paste or meringues. Techniques such as piping are covered at length, including how to properly fill and hold the pastry bag and how to create the desired size. Diagrams are precise and leave no doubt as to the proper approach. Classic recipes include chocolate éclairs, croissants, and three varieties of tart dough with several delectable filling options. Cookies, cakes and ice creams, and a wonderful chapter on Alsatian specialties round out this superb collection. For those looking for the definitive guide to French pastry, they should look no further than this comprehensive and user-friendly collection. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Jacquy Pfeiffer’s The Art of French Pastry
 
"Jacquy Pfeiffer is a master whose talent and artistry I respect. He has written a book that everyone can enjoy—classic French pastry techniques, presented with Jacquy's twist."
—Jacques Torres
 
"Everyone will love this book because it's more than just a pastry chef giving his recipes—it teaches you about different techniques and ingredients. I've always known that Jacquy Pfeiffer is an incredible teacher and through this book you can learn so much from him. The Art of French Pastry is easy to follow and really a joy to go through and cook from."
—François Payard
 
“Finally, a book that demystifies the secrets of classic French pastry! I am thrilled that Jacquy Pfeiffer has created this masterful, must-have book in which he shares his remarkable journey and recipes from apprentice to chef. Even the most skilled baker will be thrilled with these recipes that work like little miracles. This is a classic that everyone will use for years to come!”
—Sherry Yard, author of Secrets of Baking
 
"The Art of French Pastry is a very personal collection of exceptional French pastry recipes collected over many years by Jacquy Pfeiffer, one of the most gifted and respected pastry teachers and chefs. This book is a distillation of all the experiences accumulated over a lifetime and Jacquy is guiding the reader through every technical step, just as if he were standing beside you in his pastry school, making sure that you’re achieving a glorious result! The book is written in the language of memories and can affect your life wonderfully . . . it is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the art of French pastry!"
—Hubert Keller, Chef/Owner, Fleur de Lys, Fleur by Hubert Keller, and BurgerBar

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2013
Award-winning chef Pfeiffer (founder, French Pastry Sch., Chicago) and author Shulman (The Very Best of Recipes for Health: 250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com) here provide a treat for those who love baking pastries—and those who love eating them. Readers can opt to learn basic French pastry techniques or attempt making a classic French pastry. Over the course of 75 recipes, the authors expertly guide both seasoned bakers and novices through seemingly complicated but accessibly written recipes for classic pastries such as the towering croquembouche and the delicate croissant. Accompanying the recipes are attractive photographs, as well as tips and asides that offer a wealth of information, such as knowing when a pastry is done, understanding why a particular ingredient is used, and learning the history behind a dish. Pfeiffer and Shulman demystify classic recipes and empower readers to tackle the art of French pastry making. VERDICT A comprehensive, essential resource for beginning and advanced bakers interested in everything related to French pastry baking.—Cassidy Charles, Morristown & Morris Twp. Joint Free P.L., NJ

Library Journal