The secrets of baking : simple techniques for sophisticated desserts /
Sherry Yard.
- xiv, 395 pages : colour illustrations ; 27 cm
Includes bibliographical references (page 376) and index.
Foreword -- Introduction -- My Bakeshop Rules -- Ganache: From Chocolate Sauce to Chocolate Souffle and Deep, Dark Chocolate Tart -- Caramel: From Crunchy to Creamy to Clear: Pecan Pralines, Caramel Custard Tart, Oven-Roasted Caramel Anjou Pears, and More -- Curd: From a Basic Lemon-Curd Filling for Pies, Tarts, Cakes, and Cookies to Lemon Pudding Cakes and Lime Fondue -- Vanilla Sauce: From Vanilla Sauce to Creme Brulee -- Pate a Choux: From Cream Puffs and Profiteroles to Beignets and Cannoli -- Pound Cake & Genoise: From Marble Cake to Buttermilk Birthday Cupcakes -- Financier: The Easiest Cake in the World -- Cookies: Variations on a Technique: from Crisp Sugar Cookies to Tender Powdered-Sugar Cookies to Chewy Snickerdoodles and Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies -- Pie & Tart Dough: Flaky and Sweet Crusts: from Almond Pie Dough to Chocolate Short Dough -- Brioche: Coffeecake, Sticky Buns, Panettone, Challah, and More -- Laminated Dough: From Puff Pastry to Classic Croissants to Rich Apple Turnovers -- Fruit: From Blackberry-Merlot Sauce to Roasted Voodoo Vanilla Pineapple -- Master Combinations: The Pantry of the Imagination: from Thumbprint Lime Meltaways to Frozen Hot Chocolate Tower -- Baking Terms -- Basic Tools -- Ingredients -- Suppliers -- Bibliography -- Index.
"Bake to Basics is a comprehensive primer that guides the cook through the world of baked goods and other desserts, from time-honored classics of the French patisserie to the inspired and fanciful creations that made Spago the famous restaurant it is today. At the same time, it advances a radically new understanding of these recipes, one that will give the baker greater flexibility and confidence in the kitchen. Instead of grouping desserts into traditional categories (pies, cakes, cookies), Sherry Yard arranges them around crucial master recipes. Starting with these recipes -- simple, basic guidelines for making caramel, chocolate sauce, lemon curd, pound cake, and brioche, to name just a few -- Yard shows the cook how to create dozens of variations. Knowing how ingredients interact opens the door to a multitude of baking possibilities. For example, cream puff dough forms the foundation for e;clairs, profiteroles, and the caramel-coated tower the French call croquembouche, but understanding how and why it behaves the way it does allows the cook to create deep-fried beignets, mascarpone-filled cannolis, or simmering-hot dumplings. This authoritative, friendly bake-shop bible contains fascinating mini-lessons on food science, illuminating bits of baking history, and time-saving tips. Newcomers to the world of baking will feel at ease with such simple, homey desserts as Banana Bread and Mississippi Mud Pie, and elaborate show-stoppers like Chocolate Brioche Sandwich with Espresso Gelato and Blackberry-Lime-Filled Doughnuts with Blackberry Sorbet and Berries will transform amateur bakers into expert pastry chefs."--Publisher description.