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Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie: Recipes from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries
by Linda Dannenberg

Book Description
The compelling aroma of fresh, buttery croissants, the delicacy of Savarin au Chantilly, the bliss of the chocolate-mousse Le Pleyel, these are just a few of the specialties that make Parisian boulangeries and pâtisseries the best in the world. Now, in the sequel to her acclaimed Paris Bistro Cooking, Linda Dannenberg presents the gourmet breads and pastries from thirteen of Paris's unsurpassed bakeries and pastry shops.

Paris Boulangerie-Pâtisserie offers more than 70 tempting recipes, including Bombes Amandés (Lemon-Almond Cakes) and Mousse au Caramel et aux Poires (Caramel-Pear Mousse Cake) from Paris's oldest pâtisserie, Stohrer; the signature Délice cake (Chodolate-Cream-and-Chocolate-Macaroon Cake) and lace Florentins from the world-renowned chocolatier Maison du Chocolat; and Pain de Campagne (Hearty Country Loaf) and the classic Gougerés (Giant Gruyére Cheese Puffs) from the archetypal neighborhood bakery Haupois. Linda Dannenberg gathered these one-of-a-kind recipes from the great bakers themselves, and presents them in clear, easy-to-understand recipes specially designed for the American home kitchen.

More than 150 spectacular photographs and evocative descriptions of the bakeries and the people behind them bring the essence of Paris to your kitchen. Paris Boulangerie-Pâtisserie is rounded out with a comprehensive guide to authentic French utensils (although most recipes can be prepared using equipment found in ordinary kitchens), and a directory that includes sources for everything from crystallized violets to baking stones.

Paris Boulangerie-Pâtisserie is the quintessential cookbook featuring the peerless baked goods from the most romantic city in the world.

Feast for the Eyes (September 2006)
Reviewer: miss waspy

The high quality patisseries of Paris are an extraordinary visual treat and their patisserie would be a deadly addiction were it not so rich (and expensive). Unless you employ help in the kitchen, this book should be viewed as a tour of the top Paris cake shops rather than a recipe book . In trying to recreate the gateaux in this book you might lose the will to live. Home bakery is for me half the fun of creation and half the fun seeing it disappear but this book is about art.

I've also long held the suspicion that some of the awe inspiring creations are given stability and attenuation of taste by the inclusion of tallow, just as they use lard in their best croissants I think certain all butter patisserie could collapse under its own weight or leave you with heartburn. I will now go into hiding.

Great! (January 2006)
Reviewer: A reader

I have tried most of the bread receipes and all turned out brilliant. The French Baguette wasn't like the one you buy in France, but it was still v. good. The Courgette and Tomato Quiche was wonderfull. I have only tried to make The Royale (Chocolate) and Plenel unfortunately none of them turned out well- had to throw them away.

Pain au raisin- very good. I advise you to buy this book just for the pastries and breads- not sure about the desserts recettes.

Beautiful to Behold! (March 2005)
Reviewer: J M Harrison

This book is worth possessing for its sheer beauty alone. The presentation on glossy paper and photographs are glorious, and cannot fail to impress. I haven't yet had the time to test out any of the recipes, but, who cares, the book is a joy to own and a treasure to keep.

The best baking book I have (July 1999)
Reviewer: A reader

This is without a doubt the best baking book I have and I have at least 20. I learned about from a professional pastry chef who said it is her favorite and I must agree.

Fabulous! (April 1999)
Reviewer: A reader

This beautiful book transports the reader from the home kitchen to a Paris bakery. It's a treat to look at and the recipes, while they may be intimidating to those just starting to bake, are well worth the time and effort.

Great Vicarious Tour of Paris Baking. Less value for recipes (March 2005)
Reviewer: B Marold

Paris Boulangerie Patisserie by culinary journalist, Linda Dannenberg, subtitled Recipe's from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries has the look about it of being a book on the fast track to the budget book piles. This impression is reinforced by the fact that it is published by Gramercy Books, a division of Random House Value Publishing. This gives some explanation of some printing and editing gaffs such as the fact that the very first page of text is Page 9. Counting backwards, page 1 is the frontispiece. This is very, very odd by American publishing standards. Another odd symptom is that there is a reference to sources on page 00. Needless to say, the sources do not appear on the front cover. They start in the middle of page 155. One last observation I sense is that the recipes are printed in the very awkward three (3) columns per page. This means that it is very common to find lists of ingredients split across two or more columns. Adding to this test of our eyesight is the fact that many line items on the ingredient list are split into two lines. Topping of this museum of typographical errors is the fact that the steps in the procedures are not numbered. Everything is stated in a narrative style as if being recited in a Tony Bourdain novel.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me say that this book does have a lot to offer. While there are several books such as Dorrie Greenspan's `Paris Sweets' and `The Art of the Tart' and `Tarts With Tops On' by noted English culinary writer, Tamasin Day-Lewis which get the culinary content better, these books give you nothing of the travelogue or museum tour or sources catalog aspects of this attractive book. The art and history and photographs all contribute to a strong urge to find my passport and book passage on the QM2 to Paris. As someone who has been to Paris without the benefit of reading a book like this, I strongly suggest that you check out this volume before boarding your Air France Aerobus.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its explanation of the distinction between patissiers (pastry makers) and boulangers (bread bakers). The story is a cross between tales of inter-union differences on a Broadway stage job and the sneers heard between Optometrists and Ophthalmologists on professional qualifications. The bright side of this history is the fact that these two disciplines have largely been merged into dual function shops which happen to specialize a bit more on bread or a bit more on pastry. But, at least this book explains the two different counters of bread and pastry at my local Wegmans megamart that, I might add, makes some of the very best artisinal bread found in the Lehigh Valley. But back to the book.

Since my primary interest is in culinary content and, in all modesty, I suspect that is what my two review fans look for in my reviews, I have to say that the best culinary content in this book is in the appendix of sources. It tells me, for example that there is a mill producing artisinal flours just a stones throw down the Pennsylvania Turnpike from me in Great Valley. The value of the recipes is diminished by the organization, spread out across articles on the thirteen shops covered by the book.

I must say, at long last, that the recipes are of good quality. The level of detail is just enough to prevent a total amateur from committing a major gaff; however, it is not on the level of a first rate manual on pastry making. So, even though recipes recommend not overworking pastry dough, chilling it for 30 minutes before rolling, and rolling out carefully on a floured surface, this task can fail without a fair amount of practice. The long and the short of this point is that these are advanced recipes whose primary objective is to show off the products of these Paris shops, not to teach pastry making. My conclusion to all this is that if you are an experienced pastry maker, this book will give you lots of ideas. If you are a complete novice, read the interesting stories and start with something just a bit simpler. It is important to note that the author is reporting these recipes. There is little guarantee that the author checked the procedures by baking them herself. In contrast, Dorrie Greenspan can be trusted to have rolled out all her pastries herself as she puts electronic pen to paper. So, there are no guarantees that these recipes work as written and some expertise may be needed to fill in the blanks.

Note that while the picture on the cover is dominated by bread and the first of the two specialties in the title is bread baking, most of the recipes in the book are for pastries. A crude estimate would put it at 25% bread and 75% pastry. And, there is virtually nothing about artisinal bread baking techniques except for a reference to `sur poolish' described as a `turn of the century method of preparing dough using a starter...'. There is little mention of interest in or detail about this method for producing artisinal bread. If your love is bread, check out Peter Reinhart's `The Bread Baker's Apprentice'. If your love is Paris, buy this book before your next trip!

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