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I am looking for a book on entremets for the household cook

The key difference I noticed between the pastries we sell in America and the ones they sell in France is homogeneity. The most "assembly" involved in a pastry you'd pay $1.50+ for at any bakery or cafe is probably in a cinnamon roll or a danish (smear & roll or roll, hollow, & glop). Even pie comes out of the oven ready to go. I'm not sure that really counts compared to something like this

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or eventhis
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fora less fancy exterior.I searched for cookbooks while I was abroad (reading French is not astumbling-block, fortunately), but all the cheaper cookbooks weregeared to a home audience. "Cake moms," as they call them, in Francedon't make any less homogenous of pastries than we do (cookies, flans,etc.)

I found two $50 books that explained how to assemble various pastries, but they required tons of equipment, and, even worse, a professional-size kitchen with incredible amounts of clear surface space.

Yes, I know some of these pastries

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probably be right in the difficulty & resources range I'mlooking for...but frankly, they're not my cup of tea. I don't likehard pastries & for some reason, none of those look any moreappetizing than their equivalents with less presentation.So...are there any resources out there for teaching beginners the artof assembled-after-cooking pastries? I tried once this summer to makea circular base, circular middle layer, and strip of spongey cake (towrap as a side in a cylinder), but once I got them into my hollowcylinder of metal, I couldn't figure out what was supposed to make theside stick to the base once I took that mold off! So I'm looking forbooks that don't assume you already know how to make the side staywith the base, etc. and don't assume you have a kitchen as big as thehouse I lived in. I am, however, willing to spend a total of $50-100on proper molds, brushes, etc. I think the $50 books focused more on how to make each kind of squiggly, crosshatch, etc. designs wrapped around the outside or laid on the top of various cakes. I'm not that far yet. I'd be happy with learning how to properly assemble these things. I'm a little tired of "layers" and "assembly" meaning that I spread buttercream or jelly between pan-cake layers.

Reply to
Kitty
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Take a look at a major bookstore. You will find some books like "Professional Baking" that cover both the baking and assembly of pastries. If you are in a major city, you might also consider taking some courses at a culinary school.

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?v=glanceYou might also take a look at the "Cake Bible" and the "Pie and PastryBible."
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Reply to
Vox Humana

Well, buttercream (or some filling/frosting/icing equivalent) is very often what holds desserts together. I have two suggestions, one general and one specific: First, go to your largest local public library and browse through the cookbook section. You'll more than likely find something which will meet your needs. Second, I highly recommend Bo Friberg's book "The Professional Pastry Chef." Yes, it's another "$50" book, but it's a very valuable reference tool -- look for it on sale, join a cookbook club and get it free as a dividend (I think that's how I got my copy), or borrow it at the library, but browse through it. It's a good one.

Other books which may be helpful are the "New Professional Chef" from the Culinary Institute of America and "La Varenne Pratique" -- both big, expensive, and very useful tools. Smaller books which are interesting are Alice Medrich's "Cocolate" and Robert Lambert's "Fantasy Chocolate Desserts."

-j

Reply to
jacqui{JB}

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