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This recipe is a French Classic. It consists of three components. “Pate Sucree” , which is a rich cookie-like tart crust….”Almond frangipane”, a buttery almond pastry cream…and sliced pears on top with an apricot jelly glaze. Here’s how it should look… This is not my favorite dessert. And the thing is…I love pears. I meanContinue reading “FRANGIPANE PEAR TART”

Palmiers are also sometimes called elephant ears. Not the big flat American version; the French Palmiers are small, tightly rolled, and almost cookie-like. You can use any number of fillings or flavored sugars, but the traditional Palmiers were just caramelized sugar and puff pastry. Here’s the book pic….. Nothing but sugar, and puff pastry. NoContinue reading “PALMIERS”

Remember the old fashioned “jelly roll”? Well this is the same sponge cake rolled up with real whipped cream. Easy. But like all easy things……not always. This is the pic from the book…. Beautiful. I thought I would time the making of this dessert to coordinate with my Mother’s Birthday. It was one of theContinue reading “VANILLA ROULADE”

Bostock is a twice-baked pastry. And it’s Fabulous !!! You start with day old Brioche slices….which, of course, I just happen to have, and which, I would even go out and buy just to make this recipe. You soak the slices in a simple syrup made with orange peel boiled with sugar. Then you spreadContinue reading “BOSTOCK”

Most of you have tasted Brioche Bread. For those who haven’t ….because of the copious amounts of egg and butter, it is an incredibly rich and very tender bread. Almost cake-like. Nanterre refers to the form of this bread. Often baked in rolls, it can be baked in a regular loaf. Nanterre is where ballsContinue reading “BRIOCHE NANTERRE”

A Clafoutis is basically a custard baked with fruit. The “classic” Clafoutis is normally made with cherries, but this recipe called for plums and raspberries. Here is the pic from the book…. Looks delicious doesn’t it? Unfortunately….mine wasn’t. It wasn’t that it was bad. Just not as good as I had hoped. Especially since IContinue reading “PLUM RASPBERRY CLAFOUTIS”

This Chocolate torte is made with no wheat flour and only 1/4 cup of Almond flour. It is mostly made up of eggs, sugar and A LOT of chocolate ! Oh yeah, and some coffee liqueur. Can’t forget that. Here’s the pic of how it should look…. Think rich, dense, brownie. You beat the eggContinue reading “CHOCOLATE TORTE”

Creme brulee is one of the easiest and yet most decadent of the French desserts. This recipe almost felt like I was cheating ! Made only of heavy cream, egg yolks and sugar, with a little vanilla, it takes mere minutes to make. Here is a pic… The custard is baked. There is a layerContinue reading “Creme Brulee”

“Tarte Aux Pommes” is just a fancy way of saying “apple tart”. In fact, in a by-line the recipe states that you can make a free form tart by simply omitting the tart pan. The recipe starts with “Pate Brisee”……the crust. It’s similar to a regular pie crust but with 2 whole sticks of butter.Continue reading “TARTE AUX POMMES”

Well guys….it’s been awhile, but I’m back. And I found a whole new project to teach me this insane art of French Pastry ! I swear sometimes I think I am a glutton for punishment. But then I stop and realize how much I need this. Between the old age, and the pandemic, and allContinue reading “NEW BOOK ! French Pastry 101”