Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry - Updated Edition

I bought this book as quite a beginner to pastry. I'd only made a few quiches and a few pies out of basic short crust pastry. 'Patisserie' has taught me the precision, accuracy and discipline involved in making French pastries. I am growing more confident and getting quicker at making tarts. There are obviously a huge amount of different recipes, set out as lessons, and I started off following every recipe through in order, but now I've diverged from this and enjoy choosing which recipe to follow next. The book isn't necessarily set out basic to advanced through all the lessons, but more divided into sections, which makes more sense (Tartes, Les Cremes etc). There are a lot of photos to go along with the steps in the recipe, and these show the important things like how the texture of something should look so that your pastries turn out right!Some things that might be helpful to know are:- A lot of the recipes contain almonds as in traditional French pastry- A lot of these aren't particularly quick recipes, with tart pastry requiring 2 hours chill timealthough these things don't bother me!Also, I struggled to find all the correct sized pastry rings the recipes sometimes ask for, but the book gives alternatives such as using a tart pan with a removable bottom instead, the same is given for vanilla essence instead of pods, so it is pretty accommodating!The book contains every thing you could want to eat and make in a Patisserie, from tartes to macarons to croissants and pretty much everything in between...I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn 'the Fundamentals of French Pastry', it is a brilliant book, and will keep me busy and happy for a long time!

The amount of pictures describing the steps is probably the best single feature of the book. There are plenty of times when they show you what things should look like or what you should do. Sometimes the pictures are pointless as it's obvious, but they're still nice. The amount of content in the book is dazzling and apart from a few lessons such as a few where almond paste is used to make decorative things I didn't really find anything I don't want to try out at some point.I've tried kouign amann and the basic brioche recipes so far and while the results have been outstanding, I do have to note that when using these recipes, you should have some common sense. For example the gram conversion on cups of flour is fairly inaccurate for the flour I've used, which resulted in my brioche seemingly not having enough flour since the weight of flour I use seems to be a bit heavier than the one used for conversions. This was, however, something that was obviously easy to correct by adding more. Similiarly I think the kouign amann recipe could use a bit more water and I think I was correct. However, I can't say the book is to blame. The flour I'm using as "all purpose flour" probably just simply is different from the one Christophe Felder used for the book.

I have been baking since 2010 but felt I wanted to go further than just normal cakes, muffins and breads after a visit to Paris in the Summer. After researching online I came across this book and received it a couple of weeks ago. Wow! If you can't afford to go on a course with a top patisserie chef then this is the next best thing. I have made two recipes so far (Mille-Feuile au Rhum and Moka Cake) - much more complicated than my usual baking, but with Christophe's step by step instructions and pictures it has been easy. Both the items turned out really well in looks (professionals may not agree) and the taste was sublime. I am sure if I keep working through the book my presentation will improve and so will my techniques. If you are just starting out then try a simpler book first, but if you have been making various baked items and want a challenge then don't hesitate to buy this book. I can't imagine there is a better book to introduce someone to the art of Patisserie. Well done, Christophe!!

Fantastic book. It's beautifully laid out, easy to understand and full of inspiration. I loved it enough that I've actually bought two, one for me and one for my dad. The first one I bought, for myself, was a little damaged when it arrived but it was only a superficial dent to the cover. The second one was in the pristine condition, so I really have no complaints as I'm sure it was just a fluke.This book is huge and it needs to be because of all the recipes and the perfect amount of detail. Not only does it include complicated recipes, but it really breaks down the components so that you've got a proper understanding of the fundamentals and are then able to go on and create your own recipes. I haven't tried all that many of them yet as I haven't been able to find the time, but I will say that the french meringue is the best I've ever made/tasted. The pictures are excellent and very clear. I'd recommend this book to anyone with even a slight interest in patisserie.