Pastry: Savoury and Sweet

I worked in a Michelin star restaurant my boss worked with Michel Roux I was pastry chef we used all his recipes. I lost my recipe book with the recipes I had written down.Then one day I came across this book with all those lost recipes.Not often do you get a book with recipes from a chef with 3 Michelin starsDelighted to find this book and highly recommended:-)

I find Pastry to be an incredible book: easy to follow instructions, step by step pictures for each type of pastry, each recipe presents a picture of the final product so one can aim for same level of presentation, reliable & the most delicious recipes.The book is organised by the various pastry types, so for example the chapter "Puff Pastry" commences with a photographic step by step how to make the pastry, then followed by recipes based on puff pastry, like Spinach & Pear Turnovers with Parmesan Sauce.The recipes are time consuming to make (I would not have expected any other at this great Chef's level of expertise) but well worth the amazing results. It is taking cooking/baking a few levels up. I have made the profiteroles and Mr Roux' version of Beef Wellington ("fillet of beef in a pastry crust"); both were absolutely delicious, a very very special treat. The pastry for the Wellington, I must comment, was out of this world, I have never tasted anything like that anywhere before.I would think this book is more for the keen baker/cook, not for the faint hearted :) purely due to the amount of time and many stages required to make/assemble the dish/recipe. However it is so simple to follow (and the pictures so tempting) I am sure anyone could create these magnificent creations with a bit of patience and motivation.Highly recommended, a classic book which I will keep on using forever.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECIPES INCLUDE:Pate Brisee, Flan Pastry,Pate Sucree, Pate Sablee, Classic & Rough Puff Pastry, Raised Pie Pastry , Brioche Dough, Croissant Dough, Choux Pastry, Pizza Dogh, Filo PastryBasics: Bachamel Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce, Bearnaise Sauce, Mayonnaise, Pesto, Semi Confit Tomatoes, Semi Confit Peppers, Herb Crepes, Sugar Syrup, Candied Citrus Peel Sticks, Creme Anglaise, Creme Patissiere, Vanilla ice cream, Italian Merringue, Almond Cream, Chantilly CreamQuich Lorraine, Asparagus & Red Pepper Flan, Potato Pie, Minted Pea & Mushroom Pie, Semi Confit Cherry Tomto Tart, Croustades of Seasonal Vegetabes, Lightly Curried Seafood Flans, Croustades of Salt Cod & Brandade with Fennel, Cornish Pasties, Beef & Cheese Empanadas, Apple Tart, Lemon Meringue Pie, Greengrange Tart, Ricotta Tart with Pistachios & Honey, Cherry Clafoutis, Sweet Pumpkin Tart with Toasted Almonds, Baked Apples in a Pastry Cage,Goosberry Meringue Pie, Lemon Tart, Rhubarb Tartlets with Orange, Chocolate & Raspberry Tart, Strawberry Tart,Apricot Tart, Orange Cheesecake, Catalan Tart, Pecan Pie, Pear Clafoutis, Mini Mince Pies, Medley of Mini Sables (biscuits), Sable with Blueberry,Herbed Monkfish in a Puff Pastry Crust, Sole & Wild Mushroom Bouchees, Sea Bass En Croute with Mousseline Sauce, Individual Chicken Pies, Pork & Onion Puffs, Beef & Ale Pie, Apple & Passion Fruit Tartlets, Rabbit Pate En Croute, Pork & Egg Pie, Venison Pheasant & Pistachio Pate En Croute,Chicken & Chicken Liver Pate En Croute, Salmon Coulibiac, Fillet of Beef in a Patry Crust, Rum Babas with Chantilly Cream, Croissant Baguette with Pesto, Profiteroles with Ice Cream & Choc Sauce, Roasted Peaches on Choux Crowns, Gateau St Honore with Cocoa Dusted Chantilly Cream, Calzone, and many many more!

This wipeable, softback book is slightly bigger than A5 size, and about an inch thick, an ideal size to live on my kitchen windowsill as a working ‘go to’ book for pastry dishes.It’s been one of my godsends, because my previous attempts at pastry often had pretty indifferent results, usually tending to be stodgy affairs, and I was always a bit ashamed of them.My heart sank, on first reading, that I ought to be using flour called “Type 45” or “Type 55” – but apparently, that’s only to do with the amount of ‘ash’ left from a particular flour after it’s been burned off ( I should have been able to figure that out without looking it up, judging from some of my previous creations!).Well, fear not. Ordinary plain flour off the supermarket shelf will do very well for a Type 45. If you want a slightly more flexible pastry, say for deep fill pastries, use half plain flour and half 00 pasta flour. That might make Michel Roux wince, but it works well in this house.Type 55 flour is just ordinary strong bread flour.We are guided through, step by step, on how to make the different types of shortcrust pastry, whether a delicate pate brisee or a flan pastry, We’re taught how to make enriched, sweet pastries, puff pastry , raised pie pastry, even Filo and Choux.. plus all the different types of dough – croissant, brioche, pizza.All the different methods are accompanied by stacks of recipes appropriate to the type of pastry, both savoury dishes and sweet delights.In addition, at the back of the book is a bonus: The Basics, its called – if you don’t know your béchamel from your béarnaise, this will show you how to make many of the different, basic sauces.I love this book. If this book can teach me how to make decent pastry, it can teach anybody.

This is the best book on pastry I have ever bought. Very solid tried and tested recipes, success every time I bake. Makes a great gift - my friends love it.

Lots of photos showing how to and the recipe at different stages. Would have liked more info on what English flours to use. Overall good

I don't own a huge number of cook books, maybe about twenty, as I tend to quite quickly get rid of those I just don't end up using. Of the ones I keep it's probably because there's two or three recipes in them I love. PASTRY is different - within about four months it's become the most used, most loved cook book I've ever owned. OK I got a bit too excited at one point and attempted the croissants which were a disaster, but such is the quality of the rest of this book I have no hesitation in puting this (quite spectacular) failure down to my inexperience and lack of skills. You know - croissants are hard. But ignoring that, I must say after a lifetime of achey fingers trying to rub fridge-cold butter into flour and all sorts of water-out-the-freezer shenanigans, the wonderful Monsieur Roux Snr has transformed my pastry world (and yes I do have one) into a happy land of yum. Highly recommended.

Bought this as a little something to give to my other half who is also in the Catering industry...I honestly wish I had bought myself one of these also as I really want to use this for myself but I am giving it to Him for Valentines day. Easy to follow recipes, prompt delivery and a nice sized book so it's easy to just carry if you want to use it in the Kitchen at home or take to each others house for a bake off.After training with Michel Roux Jr it's nice to have a book in the house to be able to use and look at for quick recipes and hints/tips. I would definitely recommenced this to fellow Chef's or Foodies alike!