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Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City’s Best Pastry Shops

Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City’s Best Pastry ShopsIf you’re not planning a trip to Paris in the near future, there is no reason to miss out on all the delicious pastries that the city has to offer – and let’s face it, the pastries are a big part of the draw of Paris (that, the art and the Eiffel Tower, n’est pas?)! In Dorie Greenspan’s book, Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City’s Best Pastry Shops you’ll find some great recipes for some of the most popular sweets at some of the most popular bakeries in the city.

The appealing thing about this book – aside from the little notes about the bakeries and bakers themselves – is that the recipes have been converted by Greenspan for an American audience. This means that the recipes are given by volume, not by weight, and you don’t need to have extensive baking experience to have success with the recipes, as they are all well-explained in great detail. Shortcuts, such as using the food processor for mixing, are given when applicable. The recipes generally range from easier to more difficult and the book starts out with a chapter on cookies, saving the more involved pastries and cakes for later chapters.

This is probably not the ideal book if your goal is to become a champion pastry chef, as this book does not focus primarily on traditional techniques in the way that a pastry school textbook might. It will, however, turn out some delicious pastries and might even make you feel like you’ve taken a little trip away from home and to the City of Lights for the afternoon. There are no photos in the book, so if you feel like you want to get an idea of what something is supposed to look like before trying it out, you might want to google the names of the french pastries (some can have unusual names or shapes). That might inspire you to want to take a trip, too!

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6 Comments
  • Jenny
    May 25, 2009

    I have this book and have made quite a few things from it! I love the financiers recipe and have even attempted the opera cake. I’d agree that it’s a good beginner/intermediate book, although pictures would be helpful for some of the recipes.

  • dorie
    May 26, 2009

    thanks so much for the sweet shout-out. i’m delighted that you’re enjoying the book –it’s one that was a particular pleasure for me to write.

  • Kim
    May 26, 2009

    Thanks for the informative review of this book. I think I might really miss the pictures though – it’s kind of fun to drool over things you’ll never make. Sounds like a good buy though.

  • Maria
    May 26, 2009

    I love sweets and I always wish to visit Paris. But it always a dream because I can afford the traveling expenses.I think I’ll just try this recipe book and cook some of my favorite Paris desserts.

  • Amy
    May 26, 2009

    I love this book! Reading about the origins of the recipes and then getting to make them is perfect. I made the chocolate thyme cake and it was delicious.

  • […] Who would have thought that something so simple could bring so many explosions of flavour!? This recipe, adapted from the creation of Robert Linxe at La Maison du Chocolat, is thanks to the amazing Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets! […]

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