Customer Reviews

Dessert University: More Than 300 Spectacular Recipes and Essential Lessons from White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am quite picky when it comes to purchasing cookbooks. Like a number of other reviewers, I too have attended culinary school. Almost all of my instructors were Master European Chefs, and I have admired Chef Mesnier's work for years. I usually look at cookbooks and determine their usefullness based on how the recipes compare to those I was taught by my instructors. (Every chef has their own version of how pastry cream, buttercream, crepes etc...should be prepared.) Chef Mesnier's book is a work of art in itself. The recipes in the book are exceptional. The information included about working with sugar and chocolate are simple to follow and his tips are wonderful. His commentary throughout the book is enjoyable to read. (I thought I was the only person to prefer pastry crust prepared with Crisco rather than butter!) This book is an absolute "must have" for anyone who enjoys creating, presenting, and eating dessert!

This is simply the best book on baking I have ever used! I bake a lot. At least one thing every day and I have never owned a book where every recipe I have tried has turned out beautifully until now. If your someone who likes to bake out of a box this book is not for you, but if you've wanted to try something different from your everday items this book is wonderful. Mesnier breaks everything down and teaches you the simplest way to do everything. If there's an easier way to do something, he's found it. It's not like other dessert books, where you've never even heard of half of the ingredients, or they're all super expensive items with long drawn out instructions. I'm now making things that I never in a million years thought I would be able to make. This is the book I turn to for any technique. In fact, I've taken ideas from other books and then put them together using the techniques in this book. Quite simply this is the best book ever!!!! I love it and I recommend it to everyone.

This book would be excellent for anyone interested in preparing
quality desserts . It includes recipes for kiwi, peaches and
nuts, dried fruit scones and homemade ice cream. The work is
written in simple English together with easy-to-follow recipes.
It is worth the price for the highly consolidated collection
of desserts from all over the world. Another strength of the
presentation is that the repertoire of menu items can be
customized for weight loss and dietary purposes with a minimum
of effort.

I have enjoyed Chef Mesnier's cooking classes at major resorts for some years -- they are exceptional in every respect. His new book is even better, if that can be possible. Recipes are clear, easy to follow, and produce consistantly superb results. From family dinners to special occasions, its all in his book. If you love extraordinary desserts, love cooking them, love great cookbooks, or want the perfect gift for anyone who does, this is the book for you. After all, anyone who can please that many Presidents has to be a genius and a saint!

Pastries & dessert making isn't my greatest skill. So I bought this book hoping to find at least a handful of easy to make desserts. I was surprised to find most recipes quite easy to follow. I still have a long way to go making them look good, but at least my pastries taste good for a change.

THIS BOOK HAS SOME DELICIOUS RECIPES AND USEFULL TIPS. CHEF MESNIER SAYS IN HIS BOOK THAT HE WILL ONLY USE INGRIDIENT THAT ARE NECESARY AND THAT MAKE A DIFERENCE IN THE RECIPE, SO HE WON'T MAKE YOU BUY AND GO CRAZY LOOKING FOR INGRIDIENTS THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE NEEDED. I'VE TRIED SEVERAL RECIPES AND THEY'VE JUST TURNED OUT GREAT, I MADE ALMOND DAQOISE, COCONUT MOUSSE AND SOME OTHER AND THEY'RE ALL GREAT. I TOTALLY RECOMEND IT!

I like the book. The best part is that Chef Mesnier has a brief introduction to each recipe. He gives instructions or advise which I found most helpful.
I have thousands, yes thousands, of recipes but few come with thoughtful comments about them. Chef Mesnier makes even difficult techniques seem possible for the average person.
In short, if you like to learn about making deserts get the book. If you are a professional chef who knows everything about cooking, this book is probably not for you.

In Dessert University, Roland Mesnier, the White House Pastry Chef from the Carter Administration to the current Bush Administration, skillfully merges renowned expertise with effective teaching. Like the venerable, tenured professor of an esteemed academy of higher learning, Chef Mesnier has spent many years in many kitchens developing his extensive knowledge and creative interpretation of patisserie. His career parallels the evolution of a scholastic researcher continually refining his understanding while seeking new realms of discovery.

Chef Mesnier's personal love of learning is conveyed to others in his first opus. Dessert University is a varied collection of clear and reliable recipes. Most often they are prefaced by lively and personal commentary. By so doing, the reader senses the presence of the engaging teacher and master chef, ever ready to support and to nudge forward to new culinary challenges. Some recipes are accompanied by helpful sketches or stunning color photographs.

A quick glimpse into Chef Mesnier's classroom reveals a range of tantalizing options. There are basic dessert recipes for novice pastry students, such as Oatmeal Cookies or All-American Apple Pie. Chef Mesnier simultaneously offers multiple recipes for those students inclined to enlarge their pastry repertoire. A few, tempting samples are: gossamer Apple Butter Crepes with Marsala-Laced Vanilla Sauce, an ethereal Warm Strawberry soufflé, a delicate Quick Chocolate Mousse with Ginger, or a chapter on the intricacies of pulled and blown sugar artwork.

If research, complemented by a passion for teaching, epitomizes the highest values of scholarship, Dessert University has achieved the gold standard of excellence. Chef Mesnier does this without any Ivory Tower overtones that detract from his dual passions of learning and teaching. He warmly shares his pastry expertise within a clear and devoted mentorship style. Dessert University is certain to become a classic reference for any student of patisserie.

I must start by admitting that I have had the great pleasure to both study under and assist M. Messnier at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda (where I am a volunteer -- regular job is CFO of a federal agency). Having this book in your library is as close as you can get to having a pastry teacher standing at your side in the kitchen. M. Messnier explains how cooking is a practical craft and then shares the knowledge he has gained in his long & illustrious career. He is from the old school - use great ingredients; cook them as simply as you can; and present the final product with flair. Whether you prepare a simple apple tart or one of the glorious desserts he prepared for visitors to the White House in his 25 years as White House pastry chef, you will be thrilled with your results.

This book appears to have been designed to provide value and economy for a wide audience and the author accomplishes this. The book is well designed and executed. It features good line drawings, interesting topics, and thorough instructions. For this, the book earns 5 stars.

From a professional point of view however, having been in the culinary field for over 20 years, I feel the title is a bit misleading. The term "dessert university" brings to mind a reader who has some prior knowledge of the culinary arts but upon reading this book, I see recipes for basic recipes like chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and plain poached pears.
On the other hand, I see recipes for sophisticated cooks like peaches with chestnuts and figs with cantalope. Some of the recipes were just too bizarre. A good example is rum raisen ice cream with pears in red wine. My complaint?

There is too much going on in this book to present a clear point of view.

There are chapters for fruit, soft desserts, frozen desserts, cakes, cookies, and so on. For the experienced cook and baker, many of the recipes for these chapter headings are better found elsewhere, not that they are really needed here anyway.
The chapters that offered more information on meringues, crepes, chocolate work, and sugar work were the only advanced subjects that you would not find in a common bakery book.

Although this book is a great resource for people who want just one complete guide for baking, most of the consumers who really are interested and in need of instruction from a "dessert university" are likely to buy more than one book on the topic anyway.

But for my own opinion as someone in the business, I would of liked to see this book geared more for the truly advanced person in the field of culinary arts. I would of liked to see a chapter on the use of eggs with meriques and souffles together and also a chapter with molded desserts together (frozen and creme). I would want to see more ways to use crepes that was shown in the chapter.
Lastly, I would definitely want to see many more photos on the use of complicated processes like sugar work and chocolate decorations. For the reasons cited in the above paragraph, my personal rating for this book is 3 stars.