( 5 reviews )
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( 2 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 19 2004
I bought this book and haven't even started to really dig INTO it, but i just wanted to say that upon first glance, this book seems as down to earth as jacque himself. i had the opportunity to meet him last week in New York, and he's just opened his second bakery, in downtown manhattan. i've watched his shows, but i can't believe how friendly of a person he is - he is the same offscreen as he is onscreen! i'm going to start going through these recipes, and i can't wait!
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( 4 of 5 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 2 2003
Torres is a force for pastry! His energy, creativity and enthusiasm for his passion is contagious!Here his goal is to provide home cooks with American desserts that are manageable both from technique and ingredient view.It begins with great basics section including terms, equipment, ingredients, and then basic building blocks e.g. pastry cream and apricot glaze.Then on to recipe sections on such as Tarts, Cakes, Breads, Holiday extraveganzes, etc.These are not too unusual of recipes, just good basics which most everyone can master given commitment to follow his well done instructions with many sketches and photos, and always a full-colored photo of the finished dish. There is even a whole section devoted to kids enjoying this type of baking, with recipes geared just for them to try with the folks help of course.I especially enjoyed "Paul Bocuse Papillotte", "Lemon Upside Down Cake", "9C Muffins", and the "Caramel Walnut Souffle."This is a good starting point for many into this arena of fun for one's own consumption and for giving.
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( 8 of 8 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 9 2003
Well, I must have said that I bought this book mainly because of Jacques Torres. However, after reading through the book as well as baking some of the desserts in the book. I must have said that this is one of the best dessert books that won't disappoint any reader. The dessert comes out and tastes as good as the look of it. The crust of my pie is flaky. The sauces taste great. Even though some of the reviewers said that it is too basic, I think that basic is all there is to a great dessert. Once you have learned the basic, you can adapt the recipe to make something spatacular.
