Simply Sensational Desserts: 140 Classics for the Home Baker from New York's Famous Patisserie and Bistro (Hardcover)

~ Francois Payard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro has won the devotion of Manhattan's pickiest sweet tooths, who hardly know which of its treats to devour first: the extra-tart Lemon Tart, the Chocolate Mikado Cake, or the Frozen Coconut Soufflé, among other delights.

Besieged with requests for the recipes, the store's award-winning owner and pastry chef, Françoise Payard, has responded wisely with a book geared to the home baker. Simply Sensational Desserts presents over 140 Payard classics transformed (where necessary) to make their preparation absolutely accessible. Everyday and advanced bakers alike will delight in Payard's easy yet uncompromised formulas, not to mention the results they yield.

Beginning with chapters devoted to ingredients, fundamental techniques, and pastry basics like sweet tart dough and genoise--the building blocks of Payard's repertoire and never more simply conceived--the book also presents dessert soups, cookies and petits fours, chocolate cakes (don't miss the Chocolate Pudding Cake), tarts, soufflés, candies, ice creams, and granités. Special chapters devoted to weekend cakes like pain d'epices--portable treats designed for casual munching--and holiday cakes, cookies, and bites conclude the feast. And a feast it is: besides recipes for the four-star goodies mentioned above, Payard includes Rhubarb Lemongrass Soup, Pistachio-Almond Biscotti, Pecan Reine de Saba, Rustic Peach Tart, Chestnut Yule Log, and Soft Chocolate Caramels. Payard also offers his special take on Belgian waffles, tuiles (his pistachio-almond version is stellar), macaroons, pound and fruit cakes, charlottes, and that most perfect dessert (and dessert accompaniment), vanilla ice cream, among others. Color photos profile Payard's homey yet sophisticated desserts--all designed, as Payard tellingly notes, to be made. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

There is no doubt that Fran?ois Payard can conjure up complex French desserts: he does it every day at his eponymous p?tisserie and bistro in New York City. Here, however, he takes on a different challenge, and succeeds brilliantly, creating less complicated recipes that home cooks can easily follow. Some of the most interesting offerings are fruit soups such as Spiced Cherry Soup, Rhubarb-Lemongrass Soup and Fricassee of Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar. Payard is equally inventive with tarts, coming up with a rich Hazelnut Tart with Chocolate Chantilly Cream; a traditional Mediterranean Swiss Chard Tart culled from the south of France; and a Rice Tart based on a packaged custard dessert Payard loved as a child. Even souffl?s seem less daunting with Payard's careful instructions. A Warm Harlequin Souffl? is a praline-and-vanilla checkerboard. Many dessert cookbooks make readers drool; this one will actually help them bake. It suffers from none of the endless ingredient lists so endemic to cookbooks by chefs, and Payard's instructions and supporting materials on equipment and ingredients are superb. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (September 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767903587
• ISBN-13: 978-0767903585
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #390,612 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably simple recipes create luscious desserts, October 25, 1999

By	Katie Carlone (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fabulous pictures, easy-to-follow recipes create simple yet sophisticated desserts that look and taste wonderful. I started off with the Apricot/Almond/Raspberry Tart and the Pear/Almond Tart (Tarte Bourdloue), and had terrific results the very first time. Skip the junk food and save your calories for "the real thing"...your guests and family will love you!

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Delicious, Well put together, October 28, 1999

By	J. M. Stewart Lechler "Jackie L" (Kingston, Jamaica) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So far I have tried the Banana Bread, Apple Bread and warm Apricot Souffle. They have been relatively easy to put together and delicious

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, not over-charging resources, spectacular. , May 20, 2006

By	Voracious cook with busy professional life (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

I am highly impressed with this book. There are too many cookbooks on the market written by chefs that advertise their own restaurants, or require highly expensive and inaccessible ingredients, or with recipes that require a whole weekend to construct just for visual effects, or all of the above. Francois Payard truly understands the needs and resources of a home cook.

So far, I have tried 5 dessert soups (mango soup with gingered raspberries is my favorite, and it caused a standing ovation from my family and guests), a few cookies (coconut tuiles are sooo simple and sooo delicious), 4 cakes ( the Chocolate Pudding Cake is the simplest cake in its category across several cookbooks, and fantastic in terms of flavor and impressive in terms of presentation; Gateau Alexandra caused deep envy of my husband's male friends :)), and 4 tarts, all of which turned out delicious and quite original. I appreciate that the author gives one recipe for tart dough which works for several of the sweet tarts (there are variations for some other tarts). I already had 6 lemon tarts/pies/cakes in my cooking repertoire, but Payard's lemon tart is just unbelievably flavorful, tasty, beautiful, and so simple! Mediterranean Swiss Chard tart is very original, takes little time to make (you can make several batches of tart dough once and use a prepared in advance batch), and is versatile - try it with other nuts, or golden raisins, or soak raisins in Amaretto instead of rum, or use dried cherries instead of raisins and soak them in Kirsch instead of rum. Hazelnut Tart with Chocolate Chantilly Cream also gives an ubelievable return on investment: it tastes great and looks very sophisticated for the actual time required to make it. It is somewhat rich, so I had to preceed it with a lighter entree when serving it as a dinner dessert course. There are recipes for warm souffles and for frozen souffles, which gives a good representation for one book. The photographs are beautiful. Not only is this book very practical, but it will also make a great gift.

I believe that this book is worth every penny and I recommend it very highly. Bravo, Francois Payard!