Valette - Pâtisserie

Murielle Valette was born into a family of French chefs. She has been making and enjoying food for as long as she can remember. Learning the family tradition first, she was then classically trained and worked alongside the best chefs in France and the UK. After fifteen years of learning how to create des Ptisseries la franaise, she is now renowned for her unique combination of French-inspired cooking with English flavours and traditions. Head pastry chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Ockenden Manor Hotel, south of London, Murielle dedicates her time and energy to sharing her passion for French pastry in the UK.

MURIELLE VALETTE

Constable London

Constable & Robinson Ltd

5556 Russell Square

London WC1B 4HP

www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the UK by Constable,

an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2013

Copyright Murielle Valette 2013

Photographs Lisa Devlin 2013

The right of Murielle Valette to be identified as the author of this

work has been asserted by her in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in

Publication Data is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-9089-7413-6 (trade paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4721-1014-5 (ebook)

Printed and bound in the UK

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Cover design: www.mousematdesign.com

To Mamie, Jeanne Salvagnac (1922-2010), my loving grandmother who introduced me to ptisserie as a child.

This book is a tribute to passion: passion for ptisserie and passion for France. It is a celebration of a French art de vivre and is intended for all Francophiles and chefs in the making. In this book you will find recipes that cover a whole range of exquisite ptisserie from family desserts to classic and traditional French ptisserie. I want to share with you recipes from my childhood that I learnt from my Maman, who herself learnt from her mother.

A common misconception that surrounds French ptisserie is that it is difficult to make. You will discover in this book the well-kept secrets of French pastry chefs; all classic French ptisserie is built around a few basic techniques and core recipes. If you learn to master these, you can recreate any French dessert from the simplest to the most complicated. You will then be able to serve at home what you see in the pastry shops and bakeries or eat in the traditional restaurants and bistros in France.

I have cooked for as long as I can remember. This passion is still central to my life, both at home and at work. I aim to show that it is easy to bring the work of professional pastry chefs into every home. Everybody can learn how to bake French desserts if the recipes are explained properly. Following this book will hopefully be like taking a private pastry course at home.

In the richly illustrated first section, you will find many pictures explaining the basic techniques step by step. The main part of the book contains all the recipes, organized in chapters by pastry type. Most recipes will use one or several of the basic techniques explained at the beginning of the book. It also contains shortcuts and professional tips for successful and rapid pastry-making at home.

Et voil! I hope this book will become your favourite companion in the kitchen and give you the pleasure of sharing amazing desserts with those you love.

Happy baking!

Murielle

The most important thing when making French ptisserie is a good pair of hands. Of course, electric mixers or food processors can be used to accelerate and simplify the work but ultimately everything can be done by hand. A hand whisk works just as well as an electric whisk, an electric paddle can be replaced by a spatula and the dough hook by your hands. Using your hands is a little bit more physical of course, but quite satisfying.

At work and at home I prefer to work on a marble or stone surface, but most surfaces will suffice as long as they are smooth and fairly cold. (If the work surface is warm, you can cool it down with ice cubes and wipe it dry.)

There are, however, a few pieces of cooking equipment that I would recommend you buy if you do not already have them at home:

A sugar thermometer

A blowtorch for caramelizing tarts and creams

A couple of non-stick baking trays

A silicone mat for cooking sponge and biscuits

Piping bags with a set of nozzles to fill or decorate cakes

If you are contemplating buying new moulds, I recommend non-stick loose-bottom cake or tart tins. However, some recipes in the book, like savarins or madeleines, require the purchase of specific moulds.

The baking phase is as important as the making of the dessert. All ovens are different and you know your oven best. So, follow the cooking temperatures and times in this book but also keep a close eye on what is going on in the oven to ensure you get a good bake. Ideally, all ptisseries should be cooked in a fan oven because the temperature inside the oven is evenly distributed. A static oven can also be used but it will require more care and eventually some adjustments of the temperature and the cooking time.

Ideal for cooked fruit and custard tarts, use non-fragile fruits like apples, pears, apricots, plums etc, with this pastry. The fruits and the shortcrust pastry can be cooked simultaneously.

250g plain flour

160g cold butter, diced

50ml milk, at room temperature

5g salt

15g caster sugar

1 medium egg yolk

1. Put the flour and diced butter onto a work surface.

2. Use your fingertips to coat each piece of butter with flour. Then, with both hands, work the mixture until it has a sandy texture.

3. Make a well and pour the milk into its centre. Add the salt and caster sugar and dissolve them in the milk by stiring using your fingertips. Finally, add the egg yolk.

4. Gradually incorporate the flour mix into the liquid, starting from the inside of the well.

5. When the liquid has disappeared, use both hands to mix the pastry until it has an even consistency. Do not overwork it when all the ingredients are combined, it is ready.