rodyan

Thank you, everyone! I have bought Patisserie Christophe Felder's book to get myself familiar with entremets (and the major parts of it such as mousses, chantilly cream, joconde, genoise etc) despide some negative comments on it. And I will give Heavenly Cakes a try as it has so many good responses. Thank you, again!

P.s. did you mean this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cake-Bible-Rose-Levy-Beranbaum/dp/0688044026/ref=la_B000APEDSA_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386596355&sr=1-3 ? 30 pages? Actually, you're asking two questions: 'what books suggest interesting ideas?', and 'what books offer reliable recipes?' The second question is fundamentally more important to address, since a sub-par cake with interesting flavours is not exactly 'wow', and the Berenbaum books and others that have been suggested as being in the 'go-to' category have this status for a reason, that reason being, when you follow one of the recipes in them, you know you will end up with a good cake. For a lot of people, that's a 'wow' right there, since there is a lot of crap cake to be found. I'm going to also recommend the books by the Cook's Illustrated/ATK people; their overmarketing is aggravating, but that's beside the point; their recipes are solid. Without reliable recipes, you're starting off on the wrong foot, especially if you want to experiment. The first question is very probably going to be best addressed by books such as the Migoya book, or the Zumbo one ChrisZ mentioned, or plenty of others in this vein, which explicitly focus on interesting and pleasing flavour/texture/temperature/visual combinations and contrasts, despite not [necessarily] focusing on 'entremet-style' layer cakes. To begin creating the sort of thing you describe in your OP, you definitely need to be able to see that interesting dessert ideas may be easily extrapolated across dessert types. Pastry chefs who are known for making delicious and intriguing desserts don't consult a book called something like 'Innovative, Scrumptious Desserts in Three Easy Steps' (although they may keep a notebook that amounts to this), they think, constantly. They find themselves considering what makes a combination – say, stilton, port, and walnuts – amazing or intriguing, and consider how this might be translated to a dessert, ANY dessert. They have some spectacular disasters, too, but they keep exploring. Bottom line: If you don't already have a book that reliably delivers good, standard cakes, get one. Then, consult your imagination/a work by a pastry chef whose work you admire, and find ways to adapt the ideas you generate to the cakes you want to make.

Actually, you're asking two questions: 'what books suggest interesting ideas?', and 'what books offer reliable recipes?' The second question is fundamentally more important to address, since a sub-par cake with interesting flavours is not exactly 'wow', and the Berenbaum books and others that have been suggested as being in the 'go-to' category have this status for a reason, that reason being, when you follow one of the recipes in them, you know you will end up with a good cake. For a lot of people, that's a 'wow' right there, since there is a lot of crap cake to be found. I'm going to also recommend the books by the Cook's Illustrated/ATK people; their overmarketing is aggravating, but that's beside the point; their recipes are solid. Without reliable recipes, you're starting off on the wrong foot, especially if you want to experiment. The first question is very probably going to be best addressed by books such as the Migoya book, or the Zumbo one ChrisZ mentioned, or plenty of others in this vein, which explicitly focus on interesting and pleasing flavour/texture/temperature/visual combinations and contrasts, despite not [necessarily] focusing on 'entremet-style' layer cakes. To begin creating the sort of thing you describe in your OP, you definitely need to be able to see that interesting dessert ideas may be easily extrapolated across dessert types. Pastry chefs who are known for making delicious and intriguing desserts don't consult a book called something like 'Innovative, Scrumptious Desserts in Three Easy Steps' (although they may keep a notebook that amounts to this), they think, constantly. They find themselves considering what makes a combination – say, stilton, port, and walnuts – amazing or intriguing, and consider how this might be translated to a dessert, ANY dessert. They have some spectacular disasters, too, but they keep exploring. Bottom line: If you don't already have a book that reliably delivers good, standard cakes, get one. Then, consult your imagination/a work by a pastry chef whose work you admire, and find ways to adapt the ideas you generate to the cakes you want to make. Thank you for your help and advice. Perhaps I just wanted to ask several questions in one topic Will def. look at all suggestions.

Thank you! But I need layered cakes, sorry. Making cakes for family and occasions.. And looking for light (not so buttery as classics) delicious tastes, pęrhaps meringues, fruits, yogurts etc, probably something else! As those are on high demand and I don't have any good recipes to get myself familiar with.. . Sorry if I made this not as clear as I thought.. Do you have anything to recommend? I would say it would be great to have recipes for "entremet-style"

Thanks for suggestion! And please don't get me wrong, but this cake at the picture is what I'm not looking for, sorry. I just mentioned in my comment above I would like to switch from heavy buttery cakes to more light ones.. My audience requested so meringues, fruits, mousses, yogurt, crunchy layers etc.. And this should come together as a great combo! Not just butter and sugar mixed.. You know what I mean? Sorry I made it unclear at the first step.. Is it still the book you would recommend?

I've read this discussion and seen a lot of mentioning of the cake bible, but is it just technical and easy to follow recipe book or does it offer great taste too? I'm tired of heavy buttery cakes, I'm looking for something light yet delicious: meringue, yogurt, fruits, etc. Mix of tender and crunchy, etc etc.. Something which is more than two cakes and frosting... Does the cake bible offers it, do you know?

Dear all, Have already checked some topics about cake books from the index, but would like to start another one. I am looking for the recipe cake books which has the recipes of absolutely delicious layered cakes. You know, not just a cake + buttercream, but perhaps something more interesting, when flavor combination just leaves you with WOW! And of course the compliments from others.. Preferably not too complicated, the one which is possible to make for the intermediate baker at home. Any suggestions?

Great! Thanks a lot! How do you find it when cutting, is it crunchy like a cookie or a bit soft? Mine is crunchy and it tends to break through the whole pie (bye bye runny filling). And you say it is too thick and thus not gentle enough, ok will give 2mm a go!

Lisa, do you know the weight of the final dough? About 1kg?

Thank you all for your advises and help! Getting back to original question, I understood the answer was over development of gluten due to warmth and untraditional recipes. OK, will give Lisa's recipe a go and will report after.

Thank you, Lisa, apparently both recipes I've got uses same ingredients (almonds + icing sugar). What basic recipe would you suggest to use for pâte sucrée?

I wouldn't say it is tough, it is more like cookie, very fragile and dry, breaks easily.. I am trying to work with it as little as possible, plus it is extremely hard (nearly impossible) to work with warm pate sucree, and it warms very quickly! So I try to be very careful. The picture is not mine, sorry for confusion. It is just for showing the "thickness" purposes..

Yes, that is Pâte Sucrée I am working with. Creaming method and when baked, the crust is like a cookie, quite fragile, breaks easily. I used Pierre Herme recipe for my fruit tart and Jacques Genin's for my citron tart. Hmm, so perhaps that is what it should be, and that is just me, who expects something else? Yes, I use cake flour. But I'm not from U.S. so I trust the label on the package.. Well.. I wouldn't say so, I use regular kitchen table, air temp is around 75F. Recipe states to use room temperature butter, cream all ingredients and then add flour, quickly mix and put to the fridge for 2h. Then roll the dough and fridge again. Then put the dough to the form and then fridge overnight. So I am working with cold dough and not really touching it a lot, except when putting it to the form, and only with my fingertips (well, I hope). But this may be the issue? Yes Yes Here is the recipe original: http://www.lefooding.com/la-toquera/toquera-101-la-tarte-au-citron.html translated http://artfulfood.blogspot.com/2012/06/jacque-genin-lime-tart.html I did all what was stated.

Hello all, When I making tarts with pate sucree, I blind bake the crust as directed . And when I cut the tart, the dough cracks in the middle in two or more halves. This doesn't happens when I don't blind bake the crust. Absolutely not happy about this as these tarts are planned to be for sale (well, one day). My guesses: 1. Too long to blind bake? I am aiming nice light caramel color of the dough. Even though the sides are browning faster than the bottom. 2. The crust is too thin (I usually make it about 4 mm or 0.15748 inch thick, as directed as well!) and perhaps it over dries? My bottom crust looks like this: http://parispatisseries.smugmug.com/Pastries/Paris-Patisseries/i-MKpx3RQ/1/XL/lapatisseriedesrevestartecitron4-XL.jpg But sides are much thinner (also 4mm) Your suggestions? p.s. I made Tarte Au Citron by Jacques Genin and a fruit tart with pastry cream. I brushed the second one with chocolate before filling with pastry cream as I was afraid that the crust would become soggy, however it was my mistake, the crust was dry already and the chocolate made it overly dry as didn't allow any moisture to go in. As a result it didn't went well with pastry cream: harsh crust + subtle cream. Nah.

Yeah, attending the class would be great, unfortunately I am not a huge fan of our local culinary schools, looks like it miiiiiiiles away from proper food schools. But I might be very wrong. So it is useful to give a try!

Yeah, attending the class would be great, unfortunately I am not a huge fan of our local culinary schools, looks like it miiiiiiiles away from proper food schools. But I might be very wrong. So it is useful to give a try!

Yeah, attending the class would be great, unfortunately I am not a huge fan of our local culinary schools, looks like it miiiiiiiles away from proper food schools. But I might be very wrong. So it is useful to give a try!

Yeah, sounds very reasonable to me. Thank you, makes me think about getting formal education now in any case.

Many thanks! Totally agree about reading, could you suggest the order to get the knowledge? Which one to follow?

Perhaps some time later I will consider the option to get myself into local class. Thank you!

Thank you! This helps and gives an idea how to move through the information. One more little question: could you please advise where I could find more in detail program (if any) to follow, which would include basic and advanced applications? Yep, sounds like a plan to work to smaller batches. Will give a go. Thanks a lot!

Dear self-taught professionals, This is the very first post here and thus my questions below might be trivial, but I would much appreciate your help! My story: As a baking enthusiast and a great dessert appreciator, I decide to step into the business of combining both. Not looking to work at the n-star restaurant, just to work with private clients and perhaps in the future to open my own patisserie. The main goal is to create something outstandingly delicious and good looking. (just to mention: classic (and modified) French pastries warms my heart a lot, so that is my field of interest). My pastry skills currently are more like a bit of this and a piece of that, i.e. I find myself that I can make something considered advanced, but do not know how to make something considered easy and visa versa. However by the end of a year or two, I would like to be confident with the most pastry techniques. Perhaps attending patisserie school in France would be an option to consider, but that is not my case due to the family. So I am taking a way of self-education Currently, what I do, I took Ferrandi baking practice as a base and go systematically from easy to complicated (tartes to chocolate tempering, etc) in order to cover most of the things I might need in my business. Also, I heard about the method of making something you like plus something what looks like a challenge. I am not sure which one is better? Ok, long story short, here are my questions: 1. Could you please suggest the best way to self teaching from those I mentioned above or your own way which would let to cover the most in the reasonably short time? 2. Correct me if I am wrong: I read theory, working on recipe, tasting it, if something goes wrong I do it again with changes. Ok, then, what do you do with all those "wrong" results: tarts, cakes, desserts.. ? Throwing to the bin? Yeah, I know I can give it to someone if it is usable, but I am working on tarts now, and my family and relatives are literally fed up with it. Especially if I'd do the same over and over again.. Or is there an obvious way I can't see other than throwing it away? 3. When you are learning how to make something you've never tasted, how do you know that you've made it right or even perfect? Judging by your own taste? By taste of others? Comparing with what is being sold? What if you can't buy the professional "copy"? 4. How do you learn to mix flavours? What goes with what and in which proportions. I understand that this is more like a colour theory: main colour, secondary colour, some accent. Does it works the same with the flavours? Is it possible to get any recommendations on the books to read about that, please? Sorry that my questions are very random and basic, but I feel like I stuck now and I can't find the help on this and no one really covers such obvious (to knowledgeable person) information..