Gordon Kathryn - Les petits sweets: two-bite desserts from the French pâtisserie

Les Petits Sweets

Copyright 2016 by Kathryn Gordon and Anne E. McBride

Photographs copyright 2016 by Evan Sung

Published by Running Press

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016934182

E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5729-8

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Designed by Frances J. Soo Ping Chow

Edited by Kristen Green Wiewora

Food styling by Jessie Riley and Kathryn Gordon

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Table of Contents

Contents

W HETHER FOR A TOURIST OR A LOCAL, RARELY A DAY GOES BY IN FRANCE without a visit to a favorite bakery or pastry shop. Theres a baguette to pick up, perhaps a cake for a dinner party, some petits fours to bring to a friends home, an afternoon treat for the kids goter. Colorful stores greet visitors with a pyramid of nougats or a glass case filled with jewel-like pastries, for an explosive sensory experience. While always in moderation, sweets are central to the French way of life.

They are central to my life as well. At the Institute of Culinary Education, I teach professional and recreational pastry classes and get to have a lot of fun with both while always researching the latest techniques and flavor combinations and coming up with new courses. I talk about emulsions and baking theory with my colleagues. I create new fillings based on what is available during a class. I experiment with everything from miniature treats, perfect on mignardise trays in fancy restaurants, to the full-size versions of classic desserts that my students come back to try time after time.

Anne and I both go to France every yearto different regions, which allows us to see trends from a broader perspective. We visit as many shops as we can while there and try as many desserts as possible, taking bites and notes in equal proportions. We take inspiration from the work of the countrys best pastry chefs and accidental discoveries in a neighborhoods bakery.

One thing we have noticed from eating our way around France is the overwhelming presence of two-bite treats, at home and in restaurants or pastry shops. My own experience with bite-size pastries goes back to my early days in the kitchen, when it was often the job of the newbie to make nougats or financiers that guests would enjoy at the end of the meal. It was a fun chance to practice my skills and at times even invent flavor combinations, to stretch my creativity a bit while on the lowest rung on the ladder.

Two bites: Its about moderation but also about sophistication and elegancetwo very French traits. We wanted to explore the mini-sweets, from the ones that are traditionally petite to smaller servings of true classics. Our first book, Les Petits Macarons, offered dozens of unique macaron recipes, and came out just as the United States was waking up to these best-known French treats. This book includes some of my new macaron creations, but is far more expansive, with recipes for financiers, tartelettes, petits fours, savarins, and much more that will transform any home kitchen into the most sophisticated of ptisseries. Youll find such confections as ptes de fruitsfruit-based grown-up gumdropsplus marshmallows, caramels, and cookies and pastries with crunchy and soft textures. While the inspiration is French, the flavors come from all over the world, in pairings that range from classic to contemporary.

My hope is that Les Petits Sweets will become the one source you turn to when looking to add to your dessert table, your party, or your hostess gift. Dont get me wrongI love cakes, pies, and full-size tarts and tortes just as much. But what I appreciate when making two-bite desserts is that my guests can try more of them. Theres no need to choose, and that allows me to cater to more tastes at once. For a small dinner party, I can serve something in the favorite flavor of everyone at the table. A guest loves chocolate; another, pecan; a third, passion fruit? No problem, I can create three easy treats that will make them each feel like the most important person at my table. When Im hosting something larger, or baking in a restaurant setting, small-scale desserts give me one last chance to leave a guest with just the perfect flavor combination, capping off a beautiful experience. Its about making everyone feel special. The ultimate refinement, of course, is to put a few of those small treats in a box or confectionery bag and hand those out to guests as they leave; treats that can be made ahead are perfect for that purpose, since they give off perfect host(ess) vibes without additional stress.

This is a book to get you in the kitchen, making treats that are as delectable as they are beautiful. Two bites can pack a lot of flavor punch, leaving behind the sweetest taste memory. One that will linger long after the last crumb is dusted, leaving you with the satisfaction of being the most satisfying baker in town.

Licorice sticks

THE RECIPES IN THIS BOOK CONTAIN A SLEW OF TECHNIQUES, TIPS, AND NOTES TO ensure that you bake with great success. Anne and I want you to make each treat, love it, and adopt it as a favorite, serving it over and over again. To offer just a bit of extra help, this chapter includes some more baking tricks that come up frequently over years of baking and teaching classes, whether it is to professional students or amateur bakers. Read them before you start baking and refer to them when suggested throughout the book.