Au Coeur Des Saveurs (by Frederic Bau)
This book is a passionate work by a skilled and imaginative chef, Frederic Bau. He is an expansive writer – he goes through every ingredient and how it is useful, explains how to look for the best quality, what to look for in the product, components, qualities and so on. He also expounds on important foundation recipe techniques, such as neutral glaze; and chapters such as ‘The Inner Architecture of A Cake’ combine the philosophical and the practical in a highly personalized style. The photography is top-notch, gorgeous and enticing.
I use this book often – it was a real breakthrough for me, revealing pastry in a totally new light, and encouraging me to take my craft to a higher level.
The chocolate recipes are really excellent; as a matter of fact, this is probably the best book I have ever read about chocolates. Bau reveals many behind-the-scenes ‘secrets’ of his art, and goes into details on such topics why you use inverted sugar, how to temper chocolate, or how to prevent crystalization or mould from ruining your work. Very, very useful information.
The section on plated desserts is highly innovative, and experimental – for example, red pepper compote with almond icecream! He takes french classics and adds new delicious twists, like saffron with chocolate. Every recipe I have tried has worked very well.
One warning, though – this book is highly technical, and not suited for a novice. Bau does not have any patience for step-by-step description, and can be vague when he feels the reader should already know enough about pastry technique to fill in the blanks. He rarely tells you baking temperature, and when he does it is in centigrade; all weights and measures are metric, and Bau doesn’t bother telling you what quantities a recipe will create, and skips over other details, the lack of which may frustrate and confound a home baker.
This was the first book written by Bau, who has become an acclaimed chocolatier and patissier. It seems to be out of print right now, although there are a few used copies on Amazon for around $200, and you may be able to find it in specialty bookstores. If you are a novice, you probably won’t benefit from investing in this book; but if you have a solid background in pastry this book is a must-read – highly recommended – and worth every penny.