The French Cook: Cream Puffs & Eclairs
About this ebook
The second book in The French Cook series, following The French Cook: Sauces, classically French trained author Holly Herrick dips into the marvelously versatile world of choux pastry, or pâte à choux. The buttery, nutty, even-flavor of this dough invites myriad flavors, in both sweet and savory categories and in many shapes—cream puffs, éclairs, rings, and more.
Whether it be a savory petit éclair filled with an avocado mousse layered with bacon and tomatoes, choux “gnocchi” with a buttered herb sauce, three cheese gougères with black pepper, a sweet Dreamsicle orange cream puff with a dark chocolate sauce, a salted caramel macadamia ice cream filled profiterole with a warm caramel sauce, an Almond Joy cream puff, or a hot-from-the-fryer beignet with a cool, fresh raspberry sauce, taste delights are found all along the way. Holly also provides tips and recipes for assembling classic cream puff cakes such as the croquembouche and Gâteau St. Honoré.
Holly dedicates the front of the book to the art of demystifying the “puff,” making choux pastry an easy and accessible medium for every cook, novice, professional or anyone in-between. There is a chapter on sweet sauces to go along with the sweet cream puffs and éclairs and expert tips on piping, baking and garnishing these uniquely French delights.
“An exploration deep into the world of choux and quickly debunks the myth that this best-known French pastry is something too complicated for the home baker…Une délice!”—Huffington Post
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About the author
Author Holly Herrick loves to eat, prepare, and write about delicious food. A graduate of Boston College, she started chasing her food writing dreams in Paris, France, where she studied at Le Cordon Bleu and earned Le Grande Diplome in Cuisine and Pastry. A longtime restaurant critic for the Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina’s daily newspaper, Holly has also written many general food and travel features for the newspaper and several magazines, including Southern Living and Bon Appetit. A multi-awarded food writer, Holly is the author of Southern Farmers Market Cookbook and The Charleston Chef’s Table Cookbook: Extraordinary Recipes from the Heart of the Old South. She lives in Charleston. Visit Holly’s web site and blog at www.hollyherrick.com.
