Pastry

Book excerpt: “Beautiful and instructive, this is the book to tempt you to reach for the flour and butter and gorge yourself silly”—from the James Beard Award–winner (Fork). Whether attempting the elusive perfect tart crust or the ever-vexing handmade puff pastry, making from-scratch pastry is the baker’s pinnacle of achievement—and arguably the most challenging of all skills. In Pastry, renowned British baker Richard Bertinet demystifies the art of handmade pastry for aspiring bakers of all abilities. Using crystal-clear instructions, step-by-step photography, and fail-proof weight measurements for ingredients, Bertinet teaches readers how to make the four different types of pastry—savory, sweet, puff, and choux—and shares 50 rustic, mouthwatering recipes. “A no-nonsense collection of pastry recipes from a career baker, enhanced by terrific step-by-step photography. Bertinet has an amazing ability to get complex ideas across, clearly and simply.” —Financial Times “It’s the kind of introduction to pastry that I wish someone had given me long ago, so I might have avoided all the tart- and pie-crust disasters that have plagued my kitchen over the years.” —Saveur “Richard’s cookery school in Bath is one of the places to learn baking, but if you can’t get there, this book is the next best thing to sharpen up your pastry skills.” —BBC Good Food “Delicious . . . Proving that everyone can cook pastry.” —Homes & Gardens “Since the text runs the gamut from simple how-tos to complex recipes, novice bakers and veterans who know the way around a tart pan will both find a treasure trove of flaky, scrumptious possibilities from a master chef and wise teacher.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers