The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts Book

★ ★ (for the variety of recipes)

First, I am not a baker. Not from a box, not from Pillsbury pop-ups, not from scratch. On occasion I'll make something savory, but otherwise I'll bring a main dish! So in terms of this book, this makes the recipes difficult. The recipes include basic ingredients, some not so basic ingredients.... They take patience, time and caring... Not my strong suit. But if you are an accomplished baker, this might be the book for you as the recipes are many and of a great variety.

The physical being of the book: This Is Large and Heavy... There is only one recipe per page (sometimes two pages)... The paper is plain and the font is easy to read. Each recipe has a an informational blurb; Yield, Special tools, & Variations in the left frame of the page along with the list of ingredients on a light yellow background. There are many lovely photographs BUT they are not together with the corresponding recipes, in other words, there is a section of lovely photographs and then a section of corresponding recipes (this knocked off 1 star).

In addition there is no clear division between chapters, which confused me as I went from Deep Dark Chocolate Tart in the Ganache section to Caramel on the next page.... What also confused me was why Baked Whiskey Torts, Campton Place Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Mousse trio, and Deep dark Chocolate Tort were mixed in with the Ganache recipes. After the first six (6) pages of the Caramel chapter there was a section of sixteen (16) color photographs of recipes other than Ganache & Caramel. Needless to say, the confusing and unclear progression and additions throughout the layout of the book knocked off another entire star.

Contents include: Acknowledgements; Foreword by Jacques Pepin; Introduction; and My Bakeshop Rules. This is followed by the recipe sections which in turn is followed by; Baking terms, Basic tools, Ingredients, Suppliers, Bibliography, and Index.

Recipe sections & their recipes include:

Ganache: Master ganache; Truffles; Milk chocolate; Raspberry; Banana; Baked whiskey tortes; Chocolate whipped cream; and Chocolate mousse trio.

Caramel: Stages; 16 pages of photographs (neither of Ganache or Caramel); Master caramel; Golden spun sugar; Caramel sticks; Croquante (german brittle); Caramel semifreddo; and Oven-roasted caramel Anjou pears.

Curd: Master (She sure likes this term) lemon curd; Blackberry lime curd; lemon souffle; Lemon bars; Lime fondu; and Passion fruit bavarois.

Vanilla Sauce: Master (there she goes again) vanilla sauce; vanilla ice cream; Strawberry semifreddo (but I thought we were on vanilla?); pastry cream; Cappuccino souffle; Creme caramel (?); and Creme brulee.

Pate a Choux: Master (as opposed to slave?) pate a choux (which is pastry dough... one of the "easiest to make" don't you know); Chocolate cream puffs; Profiteroles; Eclairs; Plum & ginger Carolines; Apricot & mascarpone cannoli; and Blackberry merlot dumplilngs.

Pound Cake & Genoise: Here we go again: MASTER pound cake; MASTER Genoise...... Ok: What-Ever (said in a "Val" vioce) I am finished........

Financier:

Cookies:

Pie & Tart Dough:

Brioche:

Laminated Dough:

Fruit:

Master Combinations:

$35.95 for this? Someone will get quite the deal in the book sale!