Honey, nuts and spices. Three essentials in the sweetest recipes in Roman times, Greeks and Egyptians. In the Middle Ages what we could call the first sweet revolution began. Other ingredients such as sugar, eggs and refined flour are incorporated; and techniques and recipes are created, still in force today, such as the first fruit cakes, marzipan and nougat and almond milk. We will have to wait until the 19th century to document what, without a doubt, has been the great boom of modern pastry and, of course, to locate ourselves we have to go to France and one of the most famous chefs, pastry chefs, and scholars of the moment Marie-Antoine Carême. He was the first scholar to capture his theories on sauces in an incunabulum called The Royal Pastry Chef.
The sweet recipe book is part of world culinary history: however, possibly, be the least pampered in a restaurant, the forgotten one in daily kitchens, the recurring one in celebrations and the misunderstanding in many gastronomic establishments. “The palate is educated by eating,” Vázquez Montalbán once said. That’s right: if we don’t educate the palate, we won’t be able to discern the quality of a dessert.
More informationCover of ‘All about cakes and pastries’, by Christina Tosi, published by Planeta Gastro.
In this book, Tosi reveals all the secrets that have led her to be one of the great pastry chefs in the world. A recipe book that can be useful both for those who want to start making their first pie bases, and for those who need new ideas and improvement. In one way or another, the book is a provocation to greedy curiosity, the push to get into the kitchen and start preparing the most seductive cakes and biscuits of the moment.
Jordi Roca says that Miquel Guarro’s last book, Sweet Revolution (Espasa), is “a book that all pastry lovers should have on our shelves. A know-how updated, current and visionary that does not open a sale to the future.” Miquel Guarro She defines herself as an artisan pastry activist with a gastronomic feeling. A pastry chef by training, Best Chocolatier of the year in 2013, he also took home gold from the Barcelona Gremi Chocolate Figures competition. And thus, a long history of successes, master classes and collaborations that have led him to be among the prestigious pastry chefs in our country. His book, small and soft-covered, is a demonstration that pastry chefs love their craft and try to pass it on and, to do so, they have the patience to start from the base: whipping cream, making pastry cream, encouraging us to put our hands into flour and shaping a shortcrust pastry… This is her book, a simple and practical manual to lose the fear of baking at home.
Cover of ‘Enjoy the pastries’, by Alma Obregón, published by Planeta.
In this line it returns Alma Obregon to the publishing market with a voluminous book, also published in soft cover, where it conveys a clear message “sweet recipes that always turn out well.” The book, Enjoy the Pastryedited by Planetaincludes 80 infallible proposals, read: chocolate tea pastries, Speculoos macaroonsthe perfect cheesecake or the eclairs more creative.
Cover of ‘Japanese pastry. Ingredients and recipes step by step’, by Laure Kié (Lunwerg Editores).
Talking about pastries inevitably leads us to France. Famous are their puff pastries, their macarons, their cakes or their eclairs. And also Italy, which carries its flag throughout the world. cannoli Sicilians, puff pastry Neapolitan or tiramisu. Talking about chocolates takes us to Vienna or Belgium. All this is well-known, but what is the baking tradition of other places like Asia?
Interior of the book ‘Dulce Kawaii’, by Ai Ventura (Col&Col Ediciones).
Charlie Drevstam
The publication of the book Japanese Pastry. Ingredients and step-by-step recipes (Lunwerg Editores) by Laure Kié is the demonstration that there are other worlds like Japan where sweets play an important role in everyday life. The author of said book explains that in her recipe book there are diverse and fun sweet proposals, some of French influence such as macarons Japanese style; Portuguese, as in the version of kasutera —a type of Japanese cake—; and American, as in cheesecake. Of course, this book does not lack ingredients such as tea matcha or the wasabi and techniques such as tempura applied to fruits. There is a fusion of Western techniques with Eastern ones, together with the search for the beauty of each bite, this is what is known as kriver. And to delve deeper into this style you will have to open Ai Ventura’s book published by Col&Col, Sweet Kawaii, and let yourself be carried away by the beauty and originality of this recipe book where traditional recipes from other countries merge with the ingredients and flavors of Korea, Taiwan, China or Japan. This is how Mango Snow, pineapple cupcakes, mochi donuts or kohakutou (i.e. colored candies). All of this explained simply for those who want and like sweet snacks.
Sara Cucala is a writer, filmmaker and journalist specialized in gastronomy. The creator of one of the first gastronomy and travel blogs, she has written numerous books, coordinated the culinary content of TVE’s afternoon magazine and directed several films and documentaries. She is founder and co-owner of the gastronomic bookstore and A Punto cooking school.
2024-04-14 05:30:05
#Books #lose #fear #baking
