Ferrandi

[jimb0]

Apologies if y'all have discussed this but I searched and didn't see anything. Apparently it came out in 2017 but I just discovered it earlier this year:

 

 

I haven't read the French version yet but I assume the English version is basically the same book. The book covers pretty much most if not all classic French pastries and techniques; it's definitely helped me step up my game. Honestly, I have to assume that if you successfully manage to bake everything in this book, there's basically nothing you can't handle when it comes to pastry, given the skills it encompasses.

 

Many of the recipes are organized with three different takes - "Level 1" is the classic / simple version, "Level 2" is a more demanding take, and "Level 3" is often (wonderfully) absurd with a specific variant often created by a named pastry chef. Like with any cookbook, especially one requiring such a high degree of technical skills, there are a few issues (most of the criticism you see on Amazon can be ignored, as it's not the book's fault you can't whip up 3 egg whites, but not all of it). I do think whoever did the layout should be fired, though, as the instructional pages span the two pages horizontally - which means you'll have step one on the left, step two on the right, step three on the left, etc. I find it very frustrating, but whatever, that's a small gripe.

 

Highly recommended if you aren't a pastry chef and want to take things up a notch.

Edited May 11, 2019 by jimb0 (log)