Book

Desserts

📖 Overview

Michel Roux's Desserts serves as a comprehensive guide to French pastry and dessert making. The book contains over 100 recipes accompanied by step-by-step photographic instructions. The content spans basic techniques to advanced patisserie, including sections on tarts, soufflés, creams, chocolates, and frozen desserts. Roux includes notes on ingredients, equipment requirements, and potential pitfalls for each recipe. Each chapter opens with foundational recipes and builds toward more complex variations. The photography captures both the technical aspects of preparation and the finished presentations. The book represents a bridge between professional pastry arts and home cooking, emphasizing precision while making French dessert techniques accessible to dedicated home bakers.

👀 Reviews

Most readers describe this as a practical handbook for serious home bakers who want to create high-end French desserts. The recipes come from Chef Roux's London restaurants. Readers appreciated: - Clear step-by-step instructions for complex techniques - High-quality photography showing finished desserts - Mix of classic French recipes and modern interpretations - Precise measurements in both metric and imperial Common criticisms: - Many ingredients are hard to source outside major cities - Several recipes require specialized equipment - Some techniques need prior pastry experience - Limited discussion of substitutions or variations Ratings: Amazon: 4.6/5 (127 reviews) Goodreads: 4.4/5 (89 reviews) "The recipes work perfectly if you follow them exactly," noted one home baker. Another reviewer said "Beautiful book but intimidating for beginners - stick with simpler dessert books first." Several readers mentioned the soufflés and tarts as standout recipes that delivered restaurant-quality results.

📚 Similar books

The Art of French Pastry by Jacquy Pfeiffer This collection presents foundational French pastry techniques with precise measurements and ratios for both classic and modern desserts.

Patisserie by Christophe Felder The step-by-step photographs guide readers through 210 French pastry recipes from basic doughs to intricate confections.

The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg This comprehensive reference covers breads, pastries, frozen desserts, and decorative work used in professional kitchens.

French Pâtisserie by École Ferrandi This textbook from France's culinary school presents recipes in three skill levels with detailed technical processes and ingredient ratios.

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts by French Culinary Institute The recipes follow the same curriculum taught at the French Culinary Institute with progression from basic to advanced techniques.

🤔 Interesting facts

🍰 Michel Roux earned 3 Michelin stars at his restaurant Le Gavroche in London, making it the first UK restaurant to achieve this prestigious honor 🧁 The book includes a "building blocks" section that teaches readers how to master fundamental pastry techniques like pâte sucrée and crème anglaise 🍮 Michel Roux comes from a renowned French culinary dynasty - his brother Albert and nephew Michel Jr. are also celebrated chefs specializing in French cuisine 🍪 Each recipe in the book features step-by-step photography and troubleshooting tips to help home bakers achieve professional-quality results 🍫 The author trained as a pastry chef at the Helene Delacroix pastry shop in Paris and later served as pastry chef at the British Embassy in Paris