SCIENCES

Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes

by Dominique Ansel
Thomas Schauer (photos). S. & S. 2014. 272p. index. ISBN 9781476764191. $35. COOKING
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Frequently likened to Willy Wonka, award-winning pastry chef Ansel is the mastermind behind the Cronut™, the frozen s'more, and other delights sold in his eponymous New York City bakery. His debut—part essay collection, part cookbook—sheds light on how these desserts were developed and offers home cooks a chance to try 31 of them at home. Recipes are grouped into beginner (vanilla ice cream), intermediate (cotton-soft cheesecake), and advanced (the at-home Cronut™ pastry). For most of these, readers will need a precision scale and specialty molds (tart rings), equipment (airbrush), and ingredients (instant yeast). Even advanced bakers should plan to review each recipe several times; spanning 3–4 pages in length, with numerous notes in the margins, they can be extremely cumbersome to read.
VERDICT Ansel's essays will delight his fans, as well as foodies who enjoy learning about the creative processes of famous chefs. Those new to French pastry will prefer collections with more recipes and instruction.
Reviewed by Lisa Campbell , Dec 01, 2014
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