Excerpt: Bake

BAKE

Croissants, Cakes,Ch uts, Kouign Amann, D Macarons, Scones, Tar s, Breads, Cookies, M ocolat, Chouquettes astries, Éclairs, Caram , Tarts, Gateaux, Stra ienoisseries, Tru es ousse, Donuts, Choc RORY MACDONALD

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CONTENTS

MORNING PROVISIONS

THE SWEET STUFF

AFTER DARK

Where It All Started A Day as a Pastry Chef Rules for Perfect Pastry “If It Ain’t Broken, Don’t Fix It” My Granny’s Scones

000 000 000 000 000

The Beloved Croissant ouign- mann: The Croissant’s Favorite Cousin Brunch

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Petit Gâteaux Choux Pastry The Complex World of the Macaron Confections Sunday Baking Cookies

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After Dark

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Acknowledgments Sources Index

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WHERE IT ALL STARTED Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

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When I was growing up my family always vacationed somewhere in France, never in the same region, sometimes for three to four weeks at a time. Looking back, I think it was during these trips that I really fell in love with food. ven today I can remember trying my first baguette, my first mussel, my first steak—these experiences transformed the way I looked at food. The variety of the food among the di erent regions of rance still amazes me.

My parents were both teachers whose work began early and ended late every day. They did not have time to cook elaborate meals during the week, but during the holidays and on the weekends, they would and they were really good.

Coming from an academic family, on our family vacations, everyone always had their head in a book. But, as a kid, I was unable to sit still long enough to read a book, so the kitchen became a natural destination for me. At the time I’m sure I did not appreciate the food I had a access to, how lucky I was to be able to walk to a farmers market and buy vegetables that had been picked that morning, baguettes baked fresh from a wood burning oven, moules et frites or steak with green peppercorn sauce; but I know it gave me a respect for food that I still have today.

From an early age I never had a doubt that cooking was what I wanted to do. Some people fall into this profession, but when I was twelve years old, I already was certain that I wanted to be a chef.

At that age, I began cooking more adventurous things at home, subjecting my parents to some real disasters, which they always slowly but politely ate. t si teen I landed my first kitchen ob, in a local four-star hotel set in an old monastery the utfield riory Hotel in urrey, ngland, was a beautiful historic property and its kitchen was run by an amazing e ecutive chef named avid vans, who I owe so much to. s soon as I finished school I was accepted into the hotel’s apprenticeship program, which I completed in four years. We were taught about every department in the kitchen, and many of the dishes on the menu were designed specifically to instruct us: pig’s trotters, for e ample—no one ever ordered them, but we had to learn how to break them down and

cook them. I will always be grateful for this education; you can’t learn these things in cooking school, you need to do them under the pressure of a professional kitchen—and this was a tough kitchen. There’s one particular incident from my time working there that I will never forgot; it has stuck with me throughout my entire career. One afternoon I was assigned to make sandwiches for a wedding. I was a year into my apprenticeship at that point, so I thought I knew everything and I didn’t want to be stuck making sandwiches. I wanted to be filleting a whole salmon or breaking down the quail, but instead I was making hundreds of sandwiches. They didn’t look good, as I didn’t really care about doing them, but then Chef Evans walked past, grabbed me hard by the arm until I flinched, and asked me, If it ain’t perfect, then why bother?” Then he let go and walked away. It was like a lightening bolt had hit me: I immediately went back to the sandwiches and fi ed each and every one, making them the best sandwiches that I could possibly make. A few hours later, when the sandwiches were leaving the kitchen, the chef looked them over, gave me a wink, and then kicked me straight in my shin with his pointy shoe!

It’s a day I will never forget, and without Davids vans’s support and firm guidance, I definitely would not be writing this cookbook. The four years of my apprenticeship were some of the best in my career, and I feel very honored to have had that e perience. Incidentally I also met my now wife there, all those years ago rofessionals kitchens are tough places; many of them adhere to a survival of the fittest code, and I think that’s what always drew me to them. I love the boisterousness and banter of the kitchen, and its dog eat dog mentality. I always try leave a kitchen better than when I walked in, but there’s always room for improvement; everyone in the kitchen is always chasing a finish line but always falling ust short, until another race begins. That constant need for innovation and perfection is like an addiction at times. Sure I could settle for less, but I’d never be satisfied. nd hef vans’s rhetorical question is always playing in the back of my mind: if it ain’t perfect, then why bother

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A DAY AS A PASTRY CHEF Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

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First in, last out.

That’s the first thing I say to anyone looking to enter this profession. In a restaurant the pastry chefs are the beginning and the end of a meal, and in patisseries or bakeries, there work often starts just as everyone else goes to bed.

It can be tough and relentless, but I have never thought of it as a sacrifice. hether working as a chef or a pastry chef, this is my job, this is what I do. And if you want to have any sort of success in this career or any career, you have to work hard and be dedicated. It’s not glamorous, but it is rewarding. It’s the little things in life. I still smile every time I tap out a tray of shiny chocolate bonbons, and I’m still proud when my macarons come out with perfectly straight sides or when I speak with a guest who enjoyed their pastry. As Chef Evans’s taught me, success is not about recognition, success is about being proud of what you do. And that’s true for the recipes in this book. Practice until you get it right, and then take pride in the results, whether it’s in a professional kitchen or at home, a caramel or a croissant.

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MORNING PROVISIONS

Whenever I make any type of pastry, cake, or confectionery, my first question is, “Is it too sweet?” There is a misconception nowadays that every pastry is full of sugar and that, in fact, that’s what makes it a pastry. For me, the skill and artistry that goes into pastry making, like almost anything in life, requires finding the right balance.

I try to treat sugar in pastry like I treat salt in savory food—too much and it’s overpowering, too little and the food is bland. It’s easy to dump caramel or chocolate sauce on top of everything, throw marshmallows in where they don’t belong, douse something in syrup—maybe the first bite is nice, but how do you feel ten minutes later? Sugar produces and gives energy, so our bodies yearn for it. In children, this craving is a survival technique. That’s why kids always would happily eat a plate of gummy bears, but not necessarily a plate of peas; it’s in their DNA. As we get older that natural urge subsides somewhat.

As a pastry chef, I pride myself on a judicious use of sugar. Of course, some things, such as one-bite

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items like caramels, are sweet by definition, and that’s okay because you eat one or two of them at a time—not a whole plate full. But even when creating the recipe for caramels in the confectionary chapter, I posed the question: How do we take something that is 95 percent sugar and make it balanced? In this instance, we make a beurre noisette out of the butter to create a dark caramel, which gives it a natural bitterness, and we add salt to balance the sweetness. Then we flavor the caramels with ingredients that further balance the sweetness, either with more savory ingredients like hazelnuts or something more acidic like passionfruit and mango, which help cut through the sweetness.

Are the recipes in this chapter sweet? Yes. Are they overly sweet and sickly? No. If you look closely, you’ll see that I’ve used the natural sweetness that comes from milk, cream, chocolate, and even lemons or honey to avoid employing excessive quantities of refined sugar. My hope is that you will enjoy the results.

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THE SWEET STUFF

Whenever I make any type of pastry, cake, or confectionery, my first question is, “Is it too sweet?”

There is a misconception nowadays that every pastry is full of sugar and that, in fact, that’s what makes it a pastry. For me, the skill and artistry that goes into pastry making, like almost anything in life, requires finding the right balance.

I try to treat sugar in pastry like I treat salt in savory food—too much and it’s overpowering, too little and the food is bland. It’s easy to dump caramel or chocolate sauce on top of everything, throw marshmallows in where they don’t belong, douse something in syrup—maybe the first bite is nice, but how do you feel ten minutes later? Sugar produces and gives energy, so our bodies yearn for it. In children, this craving is a survival technique. That’s why kids always would happily eat a plate of gummy bears, but not necessarily a plate of peas; it’s in their DNA. As we get older that natural urge subsides somewhat.

As a pastry chef, I pride myself on a judicious use of sugar. Of course, some things, such as one-bite

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

Praesent semper fringilla.

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items like caramels, are sweet by definition, and that’s okay because you eat one or two of them at a time—not a whole plate full. But even when creating the recipe for caramels in the confectionary chapter, I posed the question: How do we take something that is 95 percent sugar and make it balanced? In this instance, we make a beurre noisette out of the butter to create a dark caramel, which gives it a natural bitterness, and we add salt to balance the sweetness. Then we flavor the caramels with ingredients that further balance the sweetness, either with more savory ingredients like hazelnuts or something more acidic like passionfruit and mango, which help cut through the sweetness.

Are the recipes in this chapter sweet? Yes. Are they overly sweet and sickly? No. If you look closely, you’ll see that I’ve used the natural sweetness that comes from milk, cream, chocolate, and even lemons or honey to avoid employing excessive quantities of refined sugar. My hope is that you will enjoy the results.

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STRAWBERRY KOUIGN AMANN MAKES MAKES 12 TO 14 SINGLE-SERVING CAKES

Even though we traditionally color macaron shells to signify the flavor, it’s the fillings that actually contain all the flavor. The shell is always made from almond flour other nut flours such as hazelnut or pistachio tend to have more moisture and stronger natural flavor which can limit the flavor options of the fillings you can use.

INGREDIENT

WEIGHT

VOLUME

ground almonds

150 grams

1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon

10x confectioners’ sugar

150 grams

1 cup + 5 tablespoons

3 1/2 large egg whites

110 grams

7 tablespoons

granulated sugar

15 grams

1 1/4 tablespoons

superfine sugar

150 grams

12 tablespoons

ou will need a Thermapen a superfast digital thermometer or candy thermometer and a pastry bag with a -inch tip. convection oven is preferable for macarons because baking them in a standard oven can create speckles on the top of the shells.

liquid food coloring

I also suggest that you create a template so each macaron is as similar in size as possible. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit your baking sheets, use a pencil to trace a -inch cookie cutter, staggering the circles in rows. When it’s time to pipe, you can use this as a guideline.

TIP: If the starter has not started to ferment or bubble on its own, the best thing to do is to start again with new yeast and make sure you water is the correct temperature—if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and nothing will happen.

I also suggest that you create a template so each macaron is as similar in size as possible. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit your baking sheets, use a pencil to trace a -inch cookie cutter, staggering the circles in rows. When it’s time to pipe, you can use this as a guideline.

TIP: If the starter has not started to ferment or bubble on its own, the best thing to do is to start again with new yeast and make sure you water is the correct temperature—if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and nothing will happen.

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RASPBERRY GATEAUX MAKES 1 X 10” GATEAUX

Even though we traditionally color macaron shells to signify the flavor, it’s the fillings that actually contain all the flavor. The shell is always made from almond flour other nut flours such as hazel INGREDIENT

WEIGHT

water

1200 g

sugar

100 g

cremodan

8g

milk powder

186 g

dextrose

50 g

trimoline

50 g

lemon zest & juice

2 ea

olive oil

200 g

ou will need a Thermapen a superfast digital thermometer or candy thermometer and a pastry bag with a -inch tip. convection oven is preferable for macarons because baking them in a standard oven can create speckles on the top of the shells.

TIP: If the starter has not started to ferment or bubble on its own, the best thing to do is to start again with new yeast and make sure you water is the correct temperature—if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and nothing will happen.

I also suggest that you create a template so each macaron is as similar in size as possible. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit your baking sheets, use a pencil to trace a -inch cookie cutter, staggering the circles in rows. When it’s time to pipe, you can use this as a guideline.

TIP: If the starter has not started to ferment or bubble on its own, the best thing to do is to start again with new yeast and make sure you water is the correct temperature—if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast and nothing will happen.

ou will need a Thermapen a superfast digital thermometer or candy thermometer and a pastry bag with a -inch tip. convection oven is preferable for macarons because baking them in a standard oven can create speckles on the top of the shells. Thermapen a superfast digital thermometer or candy thermometer and a pastry bag with a -inch tip. convection oven is preferable for macarons because baking them in a stan37

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BAKE BREADS, CAKES, CROISSANTS, KOUIGN AMANNS, MACARONS, SCONES, TARTS RORY MACDONALD PHOTOGRAPHY BY JADE YOUNG Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. 300 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010 www.rizzoliusa.com ISBN: 978-0-8478-6384-6 $40.00 HC, 8 x 10 inches 256 pages 150 color photographs Rights: World For serial rights, images to accompany your coverage, or any other publicity information about this title please contact: Pam Sommers, Executive Director of Publicity T. (212) 387-3465, psommers@rizzoliusa.com