"An indispensable addition to any serious home baker's library, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts covers the many skills an aspiring pastry chef must master. Based on the internationally lauded curriculum developed by master pâtissier Jacques Torres for New York's French Culinary Institute, the book presents chapters on every classic category of confection: tarts, cream puffs, puff pastry, creams and custards, breads and pastries, cakes, and petits fours. Each chapter begins with an overview of the required techniques, followed by dozens of recipes—many the original creations of distinguished FCI graduates. Each recipe even includes a checklist to help you evaluate your success as measured against professional standards of perfection! Distilling ten years of trial and error in teaching students, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts is a comprehensive reference with hundreds of photographs, a wealth of insider tips, and highly detailed information on tools and ingredients—quite simply the most valuable baking book you can own."

The French Culinary Institute’s international bread-baking course, created in 1997, is taught by some of today’s greatest artisanal bread bakers and regarded as one of the top programs in the world. The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking follows the outline of the FCI’s complete 12-week bread-making course. Serving not only as a reference in the classroom, but also as a guide for professionals, amateur chefs, and home cooks who desire total immersion in the art of bread baking, this book instructs readers on French, Italian, German, Middle European, and gluten-free breads. Encyclopedic in scope and format, it is sure to become an essential item in every home cook’s library. Praise for Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking: “The only bread-baking book you’ll ever knead.”—Justin Chapple, Food & Wine !--?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /-- “The supremely technical bread book of the year is The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking by Judith Choate and the breadologists at the French Culinary Institute. . . . No doubt one could learn much about the art of dough from cooking their way through it. But also, holy bread porn!” —Eater.com “There are other bread books, some very good ones. But The French Culinary Institute’s The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking is in a class of its own. The instructions are clear, the photography is wonderful, and recipes for virtually every classic bread are included. The book’s greatest virtue is its sensible organization, which makes it perfect for the self-teacher.” —Mark H. Furstenberg, Owner of Bread Furst “To make a perfect loaf of bread, the baker needs just five essential ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast—and this indispensable book!” —Iacopo Falai, Owner of Falai, Caffe Falai, and Falai Panetteria “The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking is an essential reference book for every bread baker, from novice to seasoned professional. The rich array of information shared by the French Culinary Institute is based on knowledge that is deeply rooted in experience and tradition. The beautiful photos of well-made bread, with dark crusts and irregular holes, will raise the standards of ‘good bread’ for bakers everywhere.” —Amy Scherber, Owner of Amy’s Bread

this guide covers the many skills an aspiring pastry chef must master. It presents chapters on every classic category of confection: tarts, cream puffs, puff pastry, creams and custards, breads and pastries, cakes and petits fours.

In 1984, Dorothy Cann Hamilton founded The French Culinary Institute with a singular vision: She wanted to create a culinary school that combined classic French techniques with American inventiveness in a fast-paced curriculum. Since then, the FCI has gone on to become one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world, boasting a list of alumni that includes the likes of Matthew Kenney and Bobby Flay and a faculty of such luminaries as Jacques Pepin, Andrea Immer, and Jacques Torres. But perhaps the greatest achievement of the FCI is its Total Immersionsm curriculum, in which the classes prepare a student to cook in any type of kitchen for any kind of cuisine. Now, for the first time ever, all the best that the FCI has to offer can be found in a single sumptuous volume. The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine presents the six- and nine-week courses taught at the FCI that cover all 250 basic techniques of French cooking. Along with more than 650 full-color photographs, the book features more than 200 classic recipes as well as new recipes developed by some of the school’s most famous graduates. Complete with insider tips and invaluable advice from the FCI, this will be an indispensable addition to the library of serious home cooks everywhere.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive cookbook on French cuisine for American readers: "What a cookbook should be: packed with sumptuous recipes, detailed instructions, and precise line drawings. Some of the instructions look daunting, but as Child herself says in the introduction, 'If you can read, you can cook.'" —Entertainment Weekly “I only wish that I had written it myself.” —James Beard Featuring 524 delicious recipes and over 100 instructive illustrations to guide readers every step of the way, Mastering the Art of French Cooking offers something for everyone, from seasoned experts to beginners who love good food and long to reproduce the savory delights of French cuisine. Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle break down the classic foods of France into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of dishes—from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. Throughout, the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire. “Julia has slowly but surely altered our way of thinking about food. She has taken the fear out of the term ‘haute cuisine.’ She has increased gastronomic awareness a thousandfold by stressing the importance of good foundation and technique, and she has elevated our consciousness to the refined pleasures of dining." —Thomas Keller, The French Laundry

Newly updated and expanded with 3,500 step-by-step photographs, all the classics of French patisserie are made accessible for the home cook. For every serious home baker, French pastry represents the ultimate achievement. But to master the techniques, a written recipe can take you only so far—what is equally important is to see a professional in action, to learn the nuances of rolling out dough for croissaints or caramelizing apples for a tarte tatin. For each of the 233 recipes here, there are photographs that lead the reader through every step of the instructions. There has never been such a comprehensive primer on patisserie. The important base components—such as crème patisserie, pâte à choux, and chocolate ganache—are presented as stand-alone recipes. Once comfortable with these, the home baker can go on to tackle the famous and more complex creations—such as Éclairs, Saint-Honoré, Opéra—as well as feel empowered to explore new and original combinations. An entire chapter is devoted to decoration as well as sauces, syrups, and fillings. Whether used to develop skills or to refine techniques, to gain or simply broaden a repertoire, Patisserie dispels the mystery around classic French pastries, so that everyone can make them at home.

The leading guide to the professional kitchen's cold food station, now fully revised and updated Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen has been the market's leading textbook for culinary students and a key reference for professional chefs since its original publication in 1999. This new edition improves on the last with the most up-to-date recipes, plating techniques, and flavor profiles being used in the field today. New information on topics like artisanal cheeses, contemporary styles of pickles and vinegars, and contemporary cooking methods has been added to reflect the most current industry trends. And the fourth edition includes hundreds of all-new photographs by award-winning photographer Ben Fink, as well as approximately 450 recipes, more than 100 of which are all-new to this edition. Knowledge of garde manger is an essential part of every culinary student's training, and many of the world's most celebrated chefs started in garde manger as apprentices or cooks. The art of garde manger includes a broad base of culinary skills, from basic cold food preparations to roasting, poaching, simmering, and sautéing meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, and legumes. This comprehensive guide includes detailed information on cold sauces and soups; salads; sandwiches; cured and smoked foods; sausages; terrines, pâtes, galantines, and roulades; cheese; appetizers and hors d'oeuvre; condiments, crackers, and pickles; and buffet development and presentation.