Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home (Pbs Series) - Hardcover

Torres, Jacques

4

36 ratings by Goodreads

9780688156541: Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home (Pbs Series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688156541 ISBN 13: 9780688156541

Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks, 1997

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Master the building blocks of dessert making and you can create anything. That is the simple philosophy of Jacques Torres, host of the public television series Dessert Circus and executive pastry chef at the world-renowned Le Cirque 2000 restaurant. In Dessert Circus he stays true to his principles. Learn how to temper chocolate (simply bringing melted chocolate to the right temperature) and you can make Chocolate-Covered Almonds. Learn to make sorbet (no harder than buying an ice cream machine) and you can make a Palette of Sorbets, a chocolate palette artfully topped with five different fruit sorbets. Master the recipe for Classic Genoise cake and you have the starting point for everything from Banana Moon Cakes to a raspberry mousse-filled ladybug.

Jacques explains it all in clear, plain language, like a teacher at your side. He doesn't just tell you what to do, he tells you why you are doing it that way. Dessert Circus isn't just a stunning collection of a hundred astonishing desserts, it is a primer in the basics of dessert chemistry. You will learn about ingredients and how they react when mixed, kneaded, chilled, or heated and be taught the red flags of warning--the signs that something is not going right--and what you might be able to do to save the situation.

Dessert Circus satisfies your every craving. Chocoholic? Revel in homemade Peanut Butter Cups. Want something simple and homey? How about Decorative Shortbread Cookies or Old-fashioned Macaroons? If you think creaminess is the hallmark of a dessert to die for, open up to classic Creme Brulee and soon-to-be-classic Tiramisu. There are fruit desserts (try Roosted Whole Peaches with Fresh Almonds and Pistachios), pastries, (Napoleons, Baba au Rhum), and frozen finales.

But that's not all. Jacques has included recipes for all his signature desserts. Appreciate the architecture of New York City without ever leaving your kitchen by making The Manhattan, chocolate cake layered with a bittersweet chocolate cream constructed in the shape of a skyscraper. Enjoy winter any time of year with The Snowman, a little man made not out of snow but snowy white meringue and filled with tart lemon curd. If you're really feeling your baking oats, there is the final chapter, For the Truly Adventurous. Make a Cookie Tree, a Croquembouche (a pyramid of small cream puffs), or a wedding cake for sixty.

Each recipe is rated for its level of difficulty so you can start with desserts that match your level of experience and work your way up to those more challenging. Every recipe is accompanied by a color photograph of the finished dessert and step-by-step photographs where appropriate.

If you love dessert, you'll love Dessert Circus.

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Review:

From the South of France to the kitchens of New York's legendary Le Cirque restaurant, Jacques Torres has come a long way. Now this acclaimed pastry chef shares the secret of his success--and his puff pastry--in Dessert Circus. Lest you be a timid cook who finds the notion of pastry both overwhelming and terrifying, let Torres reassure you: "Pastry is really very logical. Once you learn the basic building blocks, you can use them to create simple designs or spectacular creations." It is Torres's aim to demystify pastry for the average cook and he does this well.

Starting with a list of basic equipment and ingredients complete with explanations about what to get, how to store the items and when to use them, and continuing through a glossary of commonly used terms, Torres takes the guesswork out of what kind of flour to buy or how to make substitutions. And then there are the desserts themselves: puff pastries, cookies and petit fours, fruits, chocolate, and a section called "Signature Desserts" that contains such sinful delights as Paillasons (similar to a Napoleon only better) or Banana Moon Cakes (inspired by moonshine in a tiny village in the mountains of France). Some of these desserts are complex, but Torres's instructions are clear, easy to follow, and educational without being condescending. Reading Dessert Circus is a little like having a conversation with Torres as the two of you work side by side in the kitchen.

From the Back Cover:

Jacques Torres explains it all in clear, plain language, like a teacher at your side. He doesn't just tell you what to do, he tells you why you are doing it that way. Dessert Circus is a primer in the basics of dessert chemistry. You will learn about ingredients and how they react when mixed, kneaded, chilled, or heated and be taught the red flags of warning - the signs that something is not going right - and what you might be able to do to save the situation. Each recipe is rated for its level of difficulty and is accompanied by a color photograph of the finished dessert and step-by-step photographs where appropriate.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.