Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie: Recipes from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries

`Paris Boulangerie Patisserie' by culinary journalist, Linda Dannenberg, subtitled `Recipe's from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries' has the look about it of being a book on the fast track to the budget book piles. This impression is reinforced by the fact that it is published by Gramercy Books, a division of Random House Value Publishing. This gives some explanation of some printing and editing gaffs such as the fact that the very first page of text is Page 9. Counting backwards, page 1 is the frontispiece. This is very, very odd by American publishing standards. Another odd symptom is that there is a reference to sources on page 00. Needless to say, the sources do not appear on the front cover. They start in the middle of page 155. One last observation I sense is that the recipes are printed in the very awkward three (3) columns per page. This means that it is very common to find lists of ingredients split across two or more columns. Adding to this test of our eyesight is the fact that many line items on the ingredient list are split into two lines. Topping of this museum of typographical errors is the fact that the steps in the procedures are not numbered. Everything is stated in a narrative style as if being recited in a Tony Bourdain novel.Now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me say that this book does have a lot to offer. While there are several books such as Dorrie Greenspan's `Paris Sweets' and `The Art of the Tart' and `Tarts With Tops On' by noted English culinary writer, Tamasin Day-Lewis which get the culinary content better, these books give you nothing of the travelogue or museum tour or sources catalog aspects of this attractive book. The art and history and photographs all contribute to a strong urge to find my passport and book passage on the QM2 to Paris. As someone who has been to Paris without the benefit of reading a book like this, I strongly suggest that you check out this volume before boarding your Air France Aerobus.One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its explanation of the distinction between patissiers (pastry makers) and boulangers (bread bakers). The story is a cross between tales of inter-union differences on a Broadway stage job and the sneers heard between Optometrists and Ophthalmologists on professional qualifications. The bright side of this history is the fact that these two disciplines have largely been merged into dual function shops which happen to specialize a bit more on bread or a bit more on pastry. But, at least this book explains the two different counters of bread and pastry at my local Wegmans megamart that, I might add, makes some of the very best artisinal bread found in the Lehigh Valley. But back to the book.Since my primary interest is in culinary content and, in all modesty, I suspect that is what my two review fans look for in my reviews, I have to say that the best culinary content in this book is in the appendix of sources. It tells me, for example that there is a mill producing artisinal flours just a stones throw down the Pennsylvania Turnpike from me in Great Valley. The value of the recipes is diminished by the organization, spread out across articles on the thirteen shops covered by the book.I must say, at long last, that the recipes are of good quality. The level of detail is just enough to prevent a total amateur from committing a major gaff; however, it is not on the level of a first rate manual on pastry making. So, even though recipes recommend not overworking pastry dough, chilling it for 30 minutes before rolling, and rolling out carefully on a floured surface, this task can fail without a fair amount of practice. The long and the short of this point is that these are advanced recipes whose primary objective is to show off the products of these Paris shops, not to teach pastry making. My conclusion to all this is that if you are an experienced pastry maker, this book will give you lots of ideas. If you are a complete novice, read the interesting stories and start with something just a bit simpler. It is important to note that the author is reporting these recipes. There is little guarantee that the author checked the procedures by baking them herself. In contrast, Dorrie Greenspan can be trusted to have rolled out all her pastries herself as she puts electronic pen to paper. So, there are no guarantees that these recipes work as written and some expertise may be needed to fill in the blanks.Note that while the picture on the cover is dominated by bread and the first of the two specialties in the title is bread baking, most of the recipes in the book are for pastries. A crude estimate would put it at 25% bread and 75% pastry. And, there is virtually nothing about artisinal bread baking techniques except for a reference to `sur poolish' described as a `turn of the century method of preparing dough using a starter...'. There is little mention of interest in or detail about this method for producing artisinal bread. If your love is bread, check out Peter Reinhart's `The Bread Baker's Apprentice'. If your love is Paris, buy this book before your next trip!

I am an obsessed cookbook lover! Lean heavily into French PastryTruly a treat to view so many different bakeries! Almost as good as being there! ALMOST!

Beautiful as others say but the recipe gives me fritters not puffs! Is it only me? Too liquid I realized but I had religiously followed the directions. Any others found similar issues in other recipes?

I purchased this book back in 1999 before we went to Paris at Christmas. It was so much fun to go into the Boulangerie and take notes and then put them in the book. About a year ago a friend of mine moved to Paris so I gave it to her, with a copy of my notes and I just got around to ordering another copy.These books are worth the price. Many are not but these are wonderful. Every recipe is clear and easy to follow and very authentic.Don't miss out on a little "Paris" in your home...GET IT!

Not only are the recipes fabulous - but the book itself is absolutely beautiful to look at. It's like a personal visit to France and all the gourmet items available there! Just looking through its pages makes me want to run to the kitchen and creating something yummy!

I've made a couple of the recipes with my 2 year old son. He loved squishing the dough for the brioche in his hands. Left the dough in the fridge an extra day and still came out excellent. Things don't have to be made exactly as per instructions to come out great. The madeleines were awesome. He had a lot of fun whisking the batter.A scrum-delicious book.

I have used this book for the last 10 years. I keep having to order new copies for my kids and friends. The instructions are great. My only complaint is that the ingredients are in very small print.

I was disappointed

雨対策のされた梱包　商品到着迄4日。今回は洋書でしたがほぼ新品に近い状態でした。ありがとうございます。

表紙の写真を見て思わず手にしました。全て英文ですが写真も多く掲載されています。英文の苦手な私は精読するには５年もかかるでしょうが、難しい表現は無いので徐々に読み進めて行きたいです。パンのみならず、ケーキやお菓子の紹介もあります。是非手元において置きたい一冊としておすすめ出来るんじゃないかな。

This book did come with hefty price tag I think, but for me it was worth it. The featured bakeries and characters with their own recipes are wonderful to read and wonderful to re-create in your own kitchen. I bake a lot, and this book has not been a disappointment in any way. If you enjoy reading like me the story behind the recipe then this is the book for you. Mine was second hand, and was in great condition.... I do use and bake from this book nearly every week. ... Its not a big book in volume, but content and photography are big, and I was happy that I bought it.

The high quality patisseries of Paris are an extraordinary visual treat and their patisserie would be a deadly addiction were it not so rich (and expensive). Unless you employ help in the kitchen, this book should be viewed as a tour of the top Paris cake shops rather than a recipe book . In trying to recreate the gateaux in this book you might lose the will to live. Home bakery is for me half the fun of creation and half the fun seeing it disappear but this book is about art.I've also long held the suspicion that some of the awe inspiring creations are given stability and attenuation of taste by the inclusion of tallow, just as they use lard in their best croissants I think certain all butter patisserie could collapse under its own weight or leave you with heartburn. I will now go into hiding.

J'ai acheté ce livre quand je vivais aux USA et que j'avais le mal du pays. Je l'ai racheté après mon retour en France tellement il me plait.Il est en anglais mais très intéressant et les recettes sont d'authentiques recettes de boulangerie-pâtisserie venant des pros, et pas des recettes "familiales". J'en ai réalisé plusieurs et elles étaient toutes réussies. Les proportions sont indiquées selon les deux systèmes, métrique et impérial.Outre le texte très bien écrit et intéressant et les photos superbes, c'est une bonne source de recettes professionnelles; on ne s'attendrait pas à les trouver dans un livre pareil mais les boulangers ont consenti à révéler leurs petits secrets au public américain, pensant que cela ne risquait pas de nuire à leurs ventes sur Paris.