Desserts by Pierre Herme
by Pierre Herme, Dorie Greenspan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dorie Greenspan, Pierre HermeEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-11-02
ISBN: 0316357200
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of Desserts by Pierre Herme
Book Review: "American Patisseries" fail miserably. This book doesn't!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since visiting Paris in 1999 and falling in love with the beautiful patisseries and the delights they sell (often boxed in pretty individual boxes hand tied with satin ribbon), I'm always lurred into any shop labelling themselves a "patisserie." Granted, I'm not a major metropolitan type who is priveleged enough to live in upper Manhattan, but I've tried my fair share of sweets labelled as "French" and can tell good ones from bad. Presentation is nice, but in the end, if it doesn't taste good, I don't care about the sugar twirls on top.
It was this quest to experience the quality of Paris patisseries outside of Paris that led me to a specialty cookbook shop (oddly enough in upper Manhattan while on vacation a couple of years ago) where this book was recommended to me, if I had some affinity for baking. Now, I'm just a simple Illinois farm girl, but when my mother taught me to cook those "quick, simple, comfort foods" she still taught me how to measure properly. I figured the purchase price of the book was nothing compared to the money spent on all the awful desserts I'd tried in "American patisseries" over the years.
Yes, some of the recipes require trips to multiple specialty groceries to find a particular kind of chocolate or glaze. Yes, many are best made over a couple of days (so you're not tempted to take shortcuts that lead to failure). Yes, I've had a few that didn't "wow" me. Yes, I've had a couple of frustrations. (I can't roll the covering for the wedding cake and yet, I'd be willing to enter my good old American pie crusts in a competition.)
But, OMG! the charlotte, the creams, the combinations of flavor I'd never figure out on my own! Even a flop out of this book is better than most "French" desserts available in the US. Someone alluded to the fact that the basic recipes were cumbersome when there are others that are just as good, but easier to make in other sources. I can't speak to that since this is the only French dessert book I own.
I haven't had a problem with the lemon cream that others complain about, but I can see where there's a very narrow window between cooling the cream and adding the butter in small amounts fast enough in a powerful blender while it's still warm enough to blend properly. I also attempted to save time by buying the ladyfingers for the charlotte once: what a mistake! Once you've made your own ladyfingers, you'd be insane to buy the stale things they import from Italy!
In the end, if you're after the flavor and consistency of Parisian pastries, this book delivers. If "pretty" is all you care about: thaw your Sara Lee and throw some chocolate curls on top! You may feel you've delivered, but guests with a discerning palatte will know the difference!
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