Book Description Book Table of Contents Book Endorsements Book Reviews Buy the Book from Amazon.com Book DescriptionThe Professional Pastry Chef, Third Edition is one of the most comprehensive texts ever written on baking and pastry. Far more than a collection of recipes, this book is a complete reference on all aspects of the pastry industry and, since its publication in 1996, has continued to be an essential guide for professional pastry chefs, baking and pastry students and amateur bakers everywhere.Chef Bo's years of experience teaching all levels of students, from beginners to advanced professionals, allows him to approach his subject matter in a way that makes it accessible to all readers. Instructions for every recipe were written to make them as comprehensible and easy to follow as possible, and each features both U.S. and metric measures for all ingredients. Each recipe in the text - thoroughly tested by Chef Bo and thousands of his students - was refined to make it virtually foolproof. In the recipe introductions, Chef Bo carefully explains the proper blending of ingredients, use of pastry equipment, alternate presentations, ingredient substitutions and professional techniques that produce professional results. The Third Edition of The Professional Pastry Chef added up-to-the-minute coverage of technical advances in pastry making. You will find techniques that employ tools such as silicone baking mats, stencils, silk screens and acetate or polyurethane strips, enabling you to make modernistic "high-tech" creations. Within its nearly 1,200 pages the Third Edition contains:
Table of Contents
Endorsements
ReviewsFrom the review by Fred Thomas, "The Scarlet Pumpernickel""This is not just a cookbook about the pastry arts, it is publishing history, as important a culinary work as, say, Larousse Gastronomique or Basic French Cooking by the passionate chef at the Paris Ritz, the late Louis Diat. Unlike other cookbooks, this book is not only a how-to to end all how-to's, this is a book to read. Friberg, the dashing Swede who cut his teeth in cruise line kitchens proffering postcard pastries (how perfect!), spins magnificent little tales of a thousand-plus desserts. Some are coaching tips, others are reminiscences, others are historical and some are a little of each. The latest copy [refers the Third Edition] has a more user-friendly format (as the publicist has it) and an emphasis on the sculptural artistry of pastry which recalls, in a nouvelle sort of way, the great architectural pastry designs of the father of all chefs, Careme. Name it and Friberg has a recipe. " Reviews from Amazon.com readers: November 27, 2001, A reader, from Concord, MA What a Master! Just look at the photos and you know Bo is a master. His recipes are creative and I have yet to be disappointed in the results. Warning, however: Every recipe I have tried takes many hours and in some cases you have larger portions (for the plated desserts) than the average hungry human can handle. The recipe for the dessert on the cover, for example, yields a dessert that should be shared by two. (It is, by the way, amazingly good.) This is encyclopedic; far more than a set of recipes. Bo's explanations of techniques, lists, chemistry lessons, etc. are great and give you a reference you can use whenever you are baking. July 9, 2001, Reviewer: Melanie, from Hoover, AL, United States Excellent instruction plus a fun read. I'm not a pastry chef but still have a love of intricate baking. I really enjoyed Mr. Friberg's explanatory paragraphs prior to each recipe...he has a wonderful sense of humor and is very articulate. I agree the book is geared toward the professional pastry chef (of course, look at the book's title!) but the average baker can make some of the beautiful presentations in the book because of the author's detailed explanations and directions. Intricate chapters on doughs, bread/roll baking, cookies, tarts, LOTS of cakes, pastries, etc. as well as how to present the finished products. Some of the work such as with pulled and blown sugar should be attempted only with instruction and proper equipment because of the hot sugar involved...but let's face it...nothing in the book is rocket science and is "do-able" with lots of practice. Classes would be a plus...such as in the sugar work. Beautiful pictures and an entertaining, as well as highly instructional, book. Mr. Friberg comes across as quite friendly and willing to teach/share his wonderful recipes and methods. A far cry from some of the condescending books I have read from this field. This is not the "Cake Mix Doctor" so be prepared to spend time (and money) on the recipes but it is highly worth it in terms of quality and enjoyment. May 10, 2001, Reviewer: Linda Muljadi, from Seattle, WA Magnificent Job. I've been collecting cookbooks especially in baking and pastry. This is the best ever pastry book I've ever had. I'm not a pro but I tried some of the recipes. It was easy to follow and straightforward. The only suggestion is please add some more pictures. Anyway thanks so much Mr Bo. I wish I have enough time to try all your recipes. I'll recommend this book to my friends. March 15, 2001, Reviewer: Adriana Alvarez from Mexico, Estado de Mexico, Mexico Best pastry book ever. This is the best book I have ever found. Whatever I need to bake I know I'll find the recipe in here, and best of all I know that it will work. As if these were not enough the presentations look great. If you love self teaching this is the book for you. I feel I have learned more from this book that at culinary school. I wish I could meet Mr. Friberg, he is the best teacher I have ever had. It has very easy to follow instructions and all the information you need. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with us. December 8, 2000, Reviewer: Gary Bacchetti, from West Seneca, NY USA This book is a must. Period! Unbelievable. I cannot say much more. You must have this book if you love pastries. It is done is a clear, concise manner - and with the amount of recipies you get in this book of over 1,000 pages, it's a no brainer. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. DISCLAIMER: I am not the publisher, nor related to the author. Just a very satisfied customer. Now, don't wait - order it now. You will not regret it. June 30, 2000, Reviewer: Wendy-Benicia Cake Company, from Benicia California Now, I must tell you that this book is well worth every penny. It is so huge and heavy, every bit of it is complete and full of interesting recipes to exciting and irresistable creations. This is another book I spend lots of time with. Even if I dont have to use it I still enjoy looking through it. There are over one thousand incredible recipes in this book. Bo Friberg is an exceptional Pastry Chef. He shares his techniques and you can even make up your own as well. If you are a serious Pastry Chef and you dont have this book....then get it. It is worth it and you will be so happy you did. Everyone who bakes should have this book. Recipes range from simple breads to cakes, cookies, mousses, ice creams, sorbets, candies...the list goes on. You will just have to see when you get it. Another thing I like about this book is that it teaches you how to make things such as Mascarpone cheese and Ricotta cheese. I could go on forever. Buy it. Use it. Love it. June 8, 2000, Reviewer: Cheryl Johnson, from San Francisco Lots of helpful information if you want to learn about the art and not just follow a recipe. * I read the glossary of ingredients in the back and now I sound like I know what I am talking about. It lists and describes all types of exotic ingredients. It gives interesting technical details like what makes dutch processed cocoa different than regular cocoa, stuff like that. Very cool. * There are lots of cool pictures that are collected in a few glossy pages throughout the book. Helpful for coming up with your own artsy displays. * The book is very large and heavy. * The ingredients are given in weight and not volume measurements. All these things help me to feel cool while I pretend I am a pastry chef. April 8, 2000, Reviewer: Eric Wu, from Boston, MA Covers basic doughs (bread, cake, pastry) breakfast stuff, cookies, tarts, cakes, individual cakes (including charlottes), custards, soufflés and mousse, ice cream, decorating with chocolate and sugar, and others. About 1150 pages. This is an awesome book. It costs twice as much as any other book, but it's worth it. This book gives you the hows, whys, and principles of everything which is nice. For example it has a chart showing how creme caramel, creme brulee, pastry cream, sabayon, pots de creme are all just modified creme anglaise. However it does assume that you know a little bit, so for a first book "the cake bible" "the pie/pastry bible" or "baking with julia" might be more suitable. You know that all of the recipes are tested. There are a few things to look out for however. The first is that you will have to scale down all of the recipes - they are written for bulk. The second is that the photos and recipes aren't put together or indexed well - you have to hunt for the recipe for a particular photo. But all in all, a terrific book, definitely worth the price. February 24, 2000, Reviewer: Mike Cresci, from Camino, CA Baking Recipes That Always Work! I have used this book - as well as Chef Bo's previous book for almost 10 years now. Although some of the recipes may be too large or some of the ingredients not easy to get - every formula works! If you would like for some reason to make pastry cream and never have - you can trust the recipe. Many recipe procedures are illustrated and everyone I tried tastes great! This is the first baking book to have in your kitchen. January 15, 2000, Reviewer: Dorothy Morgan, from Mountain View, CA This was the tome in pastry school, full of recipes and anecdotes from around the world. Chef Bo was one of my instructors, and his wealth of knowledge can be found in this collection. The formulas are geared for the pro (duh), but with a scale or calculator can be used at home. I've never had problems with any of these recipes; my only wish is the next edition's recipes will tell you on which page the corresponding photo is located. Whether I'm at work (as a baker) or not, I use this as a standard reference book. September 29, 1998, Reviewer: A reader from Ann Arbor, Michigan An Inspirational Compendium of Breads and Deserts. I purchased this book a couple of years ago and have used it for baking everything from dog biscuits and breads to sponge cakes and pastry cream. Although I am only an avid amateur, I find the recipes easy to follow and easy to convert for use in the home kitchen. The Author has included equivalency tables in the back of the book (ingredients are listed by weight rather than volume measures). I have given away many of my other pastry and desert books since purchasing this book since everything that I could possible dream of is covered in this book I would strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys baking and aspires to create something outside the ordinary, regardless of skill level. August 9, 1998, maryfc@ix.netcom.com, from California This book is a fabulous resource! I had the opportunity to take a series of pastry classes with Bo Friberg at the California Culinary Academy several years ago when he was working on an earlier edition of this book. I learned a great deal from him and find his book invaluable. I have also purchased the most recent edition, and have found it an even better treasure! As a person who someday hopes to open my own bakery, I consider this a textbook for baking success! July 7, 1998, Reviewer: Chris Thielman Thielman@cdnet.cod.edu, Chicago, Illinois U.S.A. I use this textbook in my pastry arts classes at the College of DuPage outside of Chicago and I am very happy with the results that my student's get. It is one of those rare books that are useful for a learning text and also as a reference you will use for the rest of your life. As a testament to the quality, almost none of my students sell this book back at the end of the year because of its value as a lifelong tool to take them into the world of pastry arts. March 3, 1998, Reviewer: chefc@hotmail.com, from Chicago This book has a lot of easily forgotten fundamentals that any pastry chef must have. And for those just starting out or are interested in being a pastry chef this is a must have book! Also it's good to have as a reference guide if you're a head chef or a C.E.C. mainly because for the C.E.C. test there is a few questions that this book covers. Most all of the recipes are easy but look complex which is a good thing to have to impress the Customer, and maybe even yourself! January 30, 1998, Reviewer: barbara@lodelink.com, from U.S.A. Although, this is not a book for beginners, it is a very well written and beautifully illustrated book for professionals and skilled cooks. Everything I have made from it is very good and the large (usually 16) servings are usually fairly easy to reduce to a family size or can be adapted. My one complaint, and I consider it important, is the fact that there is no system for matching illustrations with recipes. One can find a photo and then look in the index for the recipe but to find the illustration for a recipe, one must leaf through the illustration pages, a real pain, especially in a book as large as this. Buy The Professional Pastry Chef, Third Edition from Amazon.com |
