Basics: Desserts: Techniques, Tips, and 60+ Recipes to Confidently Make All Things Sweet

French pastry chef Bourgeois’s English-language debut is an instructive overview of fundamental techniques. Intended as a primer for the truly uninitiated, its streamlined instructions, all accompanied by step-by-step photography, offer a simplified approach to French baking. A brief list of essential baking equipment and foundational recipes for pie crusts, sponge cake, and pastry cream are followed by “Classic Desserts,” including Parisian flan and chocolate mousse. A section on “Snacks, Bars, and Cookies” features coconut macaroons and no-bake chocolate truffles. Recipes encourage variations: loaf cake comes in three different flavors; fruit tarte tatin shines with blackberry, apricot, or apple; and granola bars can be made with cranberries or chocolate and hazelnuts. Showstoppers include pear belle Helene, sugar syrup–poached pears covered with dark chocolate and almonds, and an elegant but easy meringue pavlova with mixed berries. Traditional French confections such as madeleines, lunettes, and creme brulée also appear. The look-and-learn layout will appeal to beginners, but a lack of introductory notes and troubleshooting tips may make the more involved recipes intimidating. For the most part, though, this practical how-to manual will be a treat for aspiring bakers. (Aug.)