Blue Champagne

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Sip Carefully

a title

All his short stories are must-reads; novels are optional

Varley at his peak, don't miss Titan and Wizard as well.

Varley's best collection.

Blue Champagne
John Varley
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Varley, John | ( V ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0425093360

Customer Reviews:

Sip Carefully.......2003-09-16

Like most short story collections, this is something of a mixed bag. But as it contains some examples of Varley at his best, and his best is at the top of the field, it is an important collection for any serious fan of his, and good reading for everyone.

"The Pusher" is a very quiet story that will bring to the fore some unconscious assumptions most people have when hearing about an adult male interacting with an pre-adolescent female. In this case, those assumptions are exploded by the story's middle, and there is a serious investigation of just what types of emotional stress a near-light speed traveler would be subjected to, and what he can do about it. A unique look at a problem that just might be somewhere in humanity's future.

The title story, "Blue Champagne", didn't do very much for me, though it shows a remarkable imagination in its construction of a very unique champagne 'glass' and a very different approach to help for nerve damage that the medical profession is only now beginning to attempt. But it should be read before the next story "Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo" both for some common background elements and a shared character. "Tango" is the best story here, an achingly emotional story about a girl raised in isolation by a computer on a space station that had been decimated by a plague so virulent that it was projected to wipe out all human life if it ever escaped from the station. Now the station's orbit is deteriorating and it must be destroyed, and the girl can't be rescued. Finely written, with some twists that are not expectable, and not overplayed.

"Press Enter " is the Hugo and Nebula Award winning story that will make all the believers in world-wide conspiracies, mystery fans, and the computer nerds very happy. This is a more plot driven story than some of the others here, but with more than enough character to engage your heart as well as your mind.

The only truly insignificant story here is "The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged)", which is a compilation of very short vignettes of representative people from that book, who no longer exist. Happily it's a really short story. The rest of the stories are what I call average; quite readable and enjoyable, but not ones that will make you sit up and take notice or remember for very long.

There is something of a theme that runs through many of the stories here, that of the alienated, isolated individual trying to cope with the world, which gives these stories a feeling of darkness, a somberness tempered by Varley's resolutions to his character's problems.

A good introduction to Varley for those who haven't read any of his other work, with enough excellent stories to make you want to come back for more, and will repay your time spent reading with an expanded view of both the world and the human condition.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

a title.......2001-05-28

Some Science fiction has great ideas, others have great characterizations. The best stories in Blue Champagne stand out in my mind because they have both. Real emotional depth of character and a well-formed extrapolation of technology and its related issues. There are a couple stories which are throw aways/filler - manhattan phone book and varley yarns - but even these 'stories' are amusingly ironic and worthy additions

All his short stories are must-reads; novels are optional.......1998-07-02

I've read almost all John Varley's books and give my highest recommendation to ALL his collections of short stories: this one, Tango Charlie, Barbie Murders, etc. I loved the world he created and the way he continued it throughout all his short story collections. Read together, they present such regular features as symbs, an alien lifeforce that enters its human, after which the two coexist symbiotically in a most tender and intimate manner; their thus-transformed biochemistry is how both can work around Saturn's moons, where there's a continuing subplot of eco-monkey-wrenchers who are painting the rocks. Characters in the culture change their sex, not without soul searching, and experience their surroundings and relationships in enlightening new ways, and sometimes change back. I read everything I could get my hands on in one stream, and recommend your doing the same with all his short stories. They are wonderful read collectively. A couple of stand outs: Blue Champagne, about a gold cybernetic prostetis body for a paraplegic; Press Enter, about a unrelentingly evil computer; Tango Charlie, about a child who for years, with her pets, is the sole survivor on a space ship. (And it's been a decade since I read them). Enjoy!

Conversely, I found his trilogy to be mediocre, tolerable, okay sci fi fare. Fun if you need something to read.

Steel Beach gave me an ache. Without knowing a thing about the author's personal life, my immediate hit on it was that he's had too much psychotherapy, or something. I missed the brilliant voice of the short stories and could sense it there throughout Steel Beach, but it was as if the creative metaphors had been analyzed too much, taking most of the life out of them, or the talking cure was still going on but now in writing. The remaining glimmers and my respect for his past work kept me reading.

Still and all, a great sci fi writer. Don't miss the short stories, one more time!

Varley at his peak, don't miss Titan and Wizard as well........1998-04-26

When I read the Titan trilogy some years ago I was bowled over by Varley's creativity. His complex metaphors based on biblical images, his mathematical logic with the Titanide runes and reproduction, and his development of relationships that transcended like-species. These things and more all combined to make me scour the bookstores for more of his work. When I found Blue Champagne, I was delighted. It is, as the previous reviewer mentioned on the down-side, but haunting. The title-piece has stayed in my memory and continued to tease me with unanswerable questions. From that time on I watched for new Varley releases. Steel Beach ended my watching for new works. The title is apt, it was a grey/grey book. Strange beyond sad, no one to care for, and the sorrow for this reader was very real. Savor the Blue Champagne. It is a fine vintage.

Varley's best collection........1998-02-05

If you're tired of namby-pamby upbeat SF in "future perfect" tense, this book is for you. I can't believe it is out of print! It should be required reading for any true fan of science fiction. The stories are enthralling; the characters' lives are compelling. You'll lose yourself in Varley's vision.

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Blue Champagne

Manufacturer: Music Sales Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICUODS

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The Blue Lady's Hands
John Champagne
Manufacturer: L. Stuart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0818404787

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Champagne Blues
Nan Lyons
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0449243176
Release Date: 1980-06-12

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Champagne Blues
Nan and Ivan Lyons
Manufacturer: Jonathan Cape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OGN5ZW

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BLUE CHAMPAGNE.
Grady & Frank Ryerson. Watts
Manufacturer: Encore Music Pub.,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N792SG

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Champagne Blues
Nan and Ivan Lyons
Manufacturer: Jonathan Cape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPGQWW

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Champagne Blues
Nan and Ivan Lyons
Manufacturer: New York Fawcett Crest 1980.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LTORO0

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Exceptional recipes

"American Patisseries" fail miserably. This book doesn't!

Not your grandmother's cook book...

For Special Occasions

NOT FOR THE AVERAGE COOK!

Desserts by Pierre Herme
Pierre Hermé , and Dorie Greenspan
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Desserts | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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French | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City's Best Pastry Shops

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ASIN: 0316357200

Amazon.com

Master pastry chef Pierre Hermé creates desserts that look too good to be eaten. Whether your own renditions will look quite as exquisite is another question! But finding out is definitely worth the time investment. Here are Lemon Crepes to die for, a Golden Pearl Brownie cake that will send your taste buds spinning in an orgy of taste, and delicate Orange Tuiles that are so light and dainty they practically melt in your mouth. A majority of the recipes do require some more advanced culinary skills--and a patient disposition. A Warm Chocolate and Banana Tart requires that the tart's filling of chocolate and butter be cooled to 104 degrees, and then be cooked for exactly 11 minutes. Thankfully, Desserts offers a wealth of helpful information for cooks--listing the essential equipment and ingredients required for pastry perfection and a dictionary of dessert terms. Beautiful photographs make the desserts shimmer in a translucent light, crying out for you to try your hand at creating them. So, with a little endurance and love, you will be well rewarded with your choice of more than 100 heavenly desserts. --Naomi Gesinger

Book Description

Pierre Herme is acknowledged to be the greatest pastry chef in France, and at long last he divulges his recipes for more than one hundred divinely delicious and stunning desserts - many surprisingly easy to prepare. There are cakes, cookies, tarts, sweets for special occasions, and traditionally holiday creations. His chapter on dessert fundamentals, such as perfect tart dough, buttercream, and meringue, will prove indispensable for any baker.

Written by award-winning food writers Dorie Greenspan, DESSERTS BY PIERRE HERME promises to be the dessert book of the year.

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional recipes.......2007-03-02

Being a pastry chef, I have tried a lot of dessert recipes. I have to say, the recipes in this book are truly special. The lemon cream (in lemon tart) and Philadelphia cheese cake in particular are tremendous... The cheese cake, I omitted the topping and used fresh mangos instead of cherries, and still it was gorgeous - light as air, not too sweet, with just enough gelatin to hold everything in place. I do think the recipes require a fair amount of skills in pastry, but the book does a good job of explaining each step if you read carefully. If you try a recipe once and it goes wrong, I would recommend trying it again. Even chefs make mistakes all the time. I admit the first time I made lemon cream it didn't set because I neglected to use the immersion blender at the end. Well now I know better. I can't wait to make everything else in the book.

"American Patisseries" fail miserably. This book doesn't!.......2006-11-17

Since visiting Paris in 1999 and falling in love with the beautiful patisseries and the delights they sell (often boxed in pretty individual boxes hand tied with satin ribbon), I'm always lurred into any shop labelling themselves a "patisserie." Granted, I'm not a major metropolitan type who is priveleged enough to live in upper Manhattan, but I've tried my fair share of sweets labelled as "French" and can tell good ones from bad. Presentation is nice, but in the end, if it doesn't taste good, I don't care about the sugar twirls on top.

It was this quest to experience the quality of Paris patisseries outside of Paris that led me to a specialty cookbook shop (oddly enough in upper Manhattan while on vacation a couple of years ago) where this book was recommended to me, if I had some affinity for baking. Now, I'm just a simple Illinois farm girl, but when my mother taught me to cook those "quick, simple, comfort foods" she still taught me how to measure properly. I figured the purchase price of the book was nothing compared to the money spent on all the awful desserts I'd tried in "American patisseries" over the years.

Yes, some of the recipes require trips to multiple specialty groceries to find a particular kind of chocolate or glaze. Yes, many are best made over a couple of days (so you're not tempted to take shortcuts that lead to failure). Yes, I've had a few that didn't "wow" me. Yes, I've had a couple of frustrations. (I can't roll the covering for the wedding cake and yet, I'd be willing to enter my good old American pie crusts in a competition.)

But, OMG! the charlotte, the creams, the combinations of flavor I'd never figure out on my own! Even a flop out of this book is better than most "French" desserts available in the US. Someone alluded to the fact that the basic recipes were cumbersome when there are others that are just as good, but easier to make in other sources. I can't speak to that since this is the only French dessert book I own.

I haven't had a problem with the lemon cream that others complain about, but I can see where there's a very narrow window between cooling the cream and adding the butter in small amounts fast enough in a powerful blender while it's still warm enough to blend properly. I also attempted to save time by buying the ladyfingers for the charlotte once: what a mistake! Once you've made your own ladyfingers, you'd be insane to buy the stale things they import from Italy!

In the end, if you're after the flavor and consistency of Parisian pastries, this book delivers. If "pretty" is all you care about: thaw your Sara Lee and throw some chocolate curls on top! You may feel you've delivered, but guests with a discerning palatte will know the difference!

Not your grandmother's cook book..........2006-11-09

I have read the other reviews and I will say that I agree with much of what has been said. This book is not for the casual baker. This is not for people who cut corners, make substitutions, and try to get things done quickly. The recipes are tough and involved, some of them requiring the completion of a half dozen or more separate components, each of which would easily amount to its own recipe in your typical baking book.

So if you want a challenge, this book is for you. Having baked most of the recipes in this book, I can say that Pierre's recipes are extremely reliable; if you follow the directions fastidiously, they will work. While you may not necessarily create something as gorgeous as what appears in the pictures, you will get more than your share of oohhhs and ahhhs. And some of the recipes are just sublime. I highly recommend the chocolate mousse dome, especially for the novice bakers. This is one of the few recipes that will almost always turn out just like in the picture, is fairly hard to screw up (comparatively speaking) and is just great for chocolate lovers. Another really nice one is the Philadelphia Almond Cheese Cake... not really a true cheesecake, but sure to please everyone.

My only complaint (and I echo what others have said) is the omission of mass measurements. Volume measurements (or "American measurements") are quite frankly, dumb. They are inaccurate and more difficult and time consuming than just doing things properly by mass. Volume is not an alternative method to mass; it's just wrong, if you ask me.

That being said, I found the recipes very reliable, in spite of the volume measurements. Even the base recipes, like Genoise, vanilla buttercream, and pastry cream, are recipes I routinely use as the building blocks for many of my cakes, even though I have many other alternative versions of the same recipes from other books. These just work really well.

So to sum up: if you have baked your share of brownies, lemon meringue pies, and chcolate chip cookies, and are ready to move on to something more challenging, and for that matter, just plain more fun and interesting, you're going to have a blast with this book.

For Special Occasions.......2006-01-12

I originally was exposed to Pierre Herme's recipes through a calendar which had 12 of the recipes that are in this book. I tried most of them, and totally impressed my French friends. That calendar of course was not very convenient to keep using! I was thrilled to find this book, with even more spectacular desserts in it. I have to agree with lisamuss (I think), this is not for a quick family dessert, but for extra special occasions. They DO take a long time, but I have found the results to be worth the effort. I have made the cake shown on the cover quite a few times, the only time it flopped was because I didn't follow the directions - and even then it was delicious. The Riviera cake I make whenever I have company coming that I want to impress, I use raspberries and it is ALWAYS a hit. The chocolate pudding with raspberry coulis is to die for, my daughter wants me to make that at her wedding instead of a cake!
I think a person needs to realize these are special recipes, expensive, and they will take a long time (like, most of the day). BUT when you really want to impress, this is the best book ever.

NOT FOR THE AVERAGE COOK!.......2006-01-09

This book is amazing, beyond what I expected in every way! The presentations are lovely, the instructions are easy, and the ingredients aren't difficult to find. But keep in mind, this book is not for the average cook, but for those who have or plan on making a career out of their love and passion for baking. If you are a professional chef, buy this book, if not, pass.

Average customer rating:

excellent
love it!
Great chocolate desserts!
Amazing chocolate creativity
UN BUEN LIBRO

Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme
Dorie Greenspan
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chocolate | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0316357413

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Since Pierre Hermé is probably the best pastry chef in the world, and chocolate the best dessert flavor, it's no surprise that this stellar combination, presented in Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé is dazzling. Hermé's beautiful recipes are written by Dorie Greenspan, who also worked with him on his award-winning Desserts by Pierre Hermé, and the resulting creations are photographed as works of art by Jean-Louis Block-Laine.

Although Hermé is best known for his multilayered extravaganzas, this collection was written and tested for American home kitchens. So while there are a few mind-boggling, taste-bud-stretching experiences like Plaisir Sucre (hazelnut dacquoise, milk chocolate ganache, milk chocolate whipped cream, sheets of tempered milk chocolate, and a crunchy chocolate praline spread), most of the recipes are more than manageable, and just as scrumptious. Lacy Coffee-Cocoa Nougatine Cookies are crisp and delicate and extremely flavorful. The Chocolate Macaroons are the perfectly smooth, ganache-filled ones you see all over Paris, and with Hermé and Greenspan to walk you through the steps, the best results are guaranteed. Pistachio Waffles with Chocolate Cream are crispy outside and moist and tender inside, and the combination of hot and cold makes them even more memorable. Chocolate Rice Pudding is far from old-fashioned, and while it makes a delectable stand-alone dessert, Hermé suggests making it part of a truly grand dessert: his Pear and Fresh Mint Tempura with Chocolate Rice Pudding is an amazing combination of flavors, textures, and temperatures.

In recipes for everything from Hot Chocolate to Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet, from Moist and Nutty Brownies to the legendary chocolate caramel extravaganza the Faubourg Pave, readers will benefit from Hermé's 25 years of experience, his limitless creativity, and his obvious passion for his profession. This volume is destined to become a classic. --Leora Y. Bloom

Book Description

Since Pierre Herm+ is probably the best pastry chef in the world, and chocolate the best dessert flavor, it's no surprise that this stellar combination, presented in Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herm+ is dazzling. Herm+'s beautiful recipes are written by Dorie Greenspan, who also worked with him on his award-winning Desserts by Pierre Herm+, and the resulting creations are photographed as works of art by Jean-Louis Block-Laine.Although Herm+ is best known for his multilayered extravaganzas, this collection was written and tested for American home kitchens. So while there are a few mind-boggling, taste-bud-stretching experiences like Plaisir Sucre (hazelnut dacquoise, milk chocolate ganache, milk chocolate whipped cream, sheets of tempered milk chocolate, and a crunchy chocolate praline spread), most of the recipes are more than manageable, and just as scrumptious. Lacy Coffee-Cocoa Nougatine Cookies are crisp and delicate and extremely flavorful. The Chocolate Macaroons are the perfectly smooth, ganache-filled ones you see all over Paris, and with Herm+ and Greenspan to walk you through the steps, the best results are guaranteed. Pistachio Waffles with Chocolate Cream are crispy outside and moist and tender inside, and the combination of hot and cold makes them even more memorable. Chocolate Rice Pudding is far from old-fashioned, and while it makes a delectable stand-alone dessert, Herm+ suggests making it part of a truly grand dessert: his Pear and Fresh Mint Tempura with Chocolate Rice Pudding is an amazing combination of flavors, textures, and temperatures. In recipes for everything from Hot Chocolate to Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet, from Moist and Nutty Brownies to the legendary chocolate caramel extravaganza the Faubourg Pave, readers will benefit from Herm+'s 25 years of experience, his limitless creativity, and his obvious passion for his profession. This volume is destined to become a classic. --Leora Y. Bloom

Customer Reviews:

excellent.......2007-06-27

This has become my favorite baking book. Whenever I need to impress, I make one of these desserts. Herme doesn't skip any steps or skimp on quality. As a result, the desserts are rich and satisfying. (My favorites are the black forest cake, the mousse, and the linzer torte. The black forest cake comes out better than that made at the local French bakery.)After you make the recipes a few times, you can easily adapt them to incorporate other flavors.

It's not a beginner's book, by any means--simple things like the best way to separate eggs are not explained in this book (unusual procedures are explained, though), and most of the recipes are extremely time consuming. If you're serious about cooking, this book is well worth the effort.

love it!.......2006-11-30

Although I have no professional training this book is rather straight forward and there are some simple recipes. I've tried making the chocolate rice pudding, which was rich and delicious and am looking forward to trying other recipes soon!

Great chocolate desserts!.......2006-07-22

I like this book very much. It is loaded with beautiful pictures as well as recipes for delicious desserts. I have tried several recipes with good results. The recipes are easy to make, but time consuming in some cases. Recipes are well explained with full details. The book has recipes for cakes, tarts, ice creams, cookies, plated desserts (like the fabulous pistachio waffle with chocolate cream) and confections.

Amazing chocolate creativity.......2005-11-02

I've been furiously purchasing chocolate books to learn as much as possible about the food of the gods and Pierre Herme's book is the most spectacular, creative and amazing.

Everything is in metric weight...which is great. Compared to Robert Linxe's book for La Maison du Chocolat, I gotta say Pierre's shines. Whilst La Maison was good...with nice pix, the recipes were horribly noted and one feels like Linxe is hiding the real recipe.

Pierre's book gave inspiration, lots of ideas, and most importantly, lots of great recipes I can use.

Amazing amazing amazing. Can't wait to try his creations at his stores in Tokyo.

UN BUEN LIBRO.......2005-08-09

ESTE ES UN LIBRO QUE EMPEZANDO POR EL AUTOR ,ES MUY COMPLETO.
PIERRE HERME ES UN CHEF DE TRAYECTORIA MUY BUENA Y CON LIBROS DE MUCHA CALIDAD EN SU CARRERA.
ME GUSTAN SUS POSTRES PORQ SON DIFERENTES Y CUIDA MUCHO EL ASPECTO DE DECORACION,,SIENDO TOTALMENTE SOBRIA Y ELEGANTE SIN CAER EN LA YA CONOCIDA Y SATURADA DECORACION CARGADA.
RECOMIENDO ESTE LIBRO YA Q SU PRECIO ES MUY COMODO PARA EL PRODUCTO QUE SE OFRECE!

Patisserie of Pierre Hermé (English/French Edition)

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable !!!!
Very advanced, but the single most advanced book you can buy

Patisserie of Pierre Hermé (English/French Edition)
Pierre Herme , and Pierre Hermé
Manufacturer: Montagud Editores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 8472120759

Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable !!!!.......2004-03-20

I have discovered this book after I bought two other ones by Pierre Hermé. I had tried the Pear & Fig Charlotte as well as the Lemon Tart and I wanted to take it to the next level. This book may be made for professionals but I had no problem making the Cinnamon Buns for everybody's enjoyment. Other more sophisticated creations may require special tools but with Pierre's detailed instructions and hints, it is not difficult to replicate what you see on the beautiful pictures.
My next experiment will involve chocolate. I am gathering the necessary equipment to be able to temper, shape and cut chocolate.
I highly recommend this book. It is the first time that a professional really shares his art with the general public. Just try it you'll be amazed !

Very advanced, but the single most advanced book you can buy.......2001-03-15

The good: If you want to make cakes just like they have at Dalloyau and Fauchon, buy this book. Divided into: fruit cakes, chocolate cakes, tarts, and petit fours. It tells you EVERYTHING there is to know. The pictures are stunningly beautiful, more so than ANY dessert book I have ever gotten, and I have about 12 or so. The desserts are very original - Pierre uses stuff like saffron and violet, and rose, and all sorts of flowers in his mousses for example. Cool combinations: Chocolate mousse/lemon cream chocolate cakes, genoise/raspberry/orange mousse cakes for example. I am not kidding: if you have this book you will know every single decorating technique, every single way of putting together stuff just as they do in the french bakeries. It lists just about every kind of mousse, every cake you could want, which ways to decorate them, and most importantly how to put it together. This is my favorite dessert book.

The bad: You have to know what you are doing already. The explanations are sparse. For instance, the explanations for pastry cream goes like (this is not real but an example) boil milk + vanilla. Add in whisked yolks/cornstarch. Put back on stove at 120C for a few minutes. Cool to 140 F, then put in butter. So the explanations are very sparse. All recipes are made for 2-4 cakes so you have to scale down. Everything is metric, everything is by weights (so you have to know 1 yolk = 20 g, 1 white = 30 g for instance). Gelatin is used in sheets in the book, so don't forget to put in about 1 T water for every 1/2 t of powder you use (if you're american and use gelatin powder) It helps to have "desserts by pierre herme" by Pierre and Dorie greenspan to "convert" back and forth units, since some cakes are in both books. Sometimes you may want to substitute: ie regular genoise for Pierre's genoise, regular puff pastry for Pierre's inverted puff pastry. In these cases it helps to know what you are doing first.

Overall: The best book period, in my opinion. Definitely worth the extra cost - it is worth 3 regular books. You have to know what you are doing first though, not for beginners. Other recommended books in the same French cake style: "desserts by pierre herme" by Herme and greenspan, and "art of the cake" by bugat and somebody else I forget. Both are great books (and a lot easier), though not as great as this one.

Average customer rating:
Larousse des Desserts

Manufacturer: French & European Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0785998462

Average customer rating:

An amazing catalogue of Pierre Herme's talent

A Great Book for Pastry Professionals

Beautiful book for professional pastry chefs

The Patisserie of Pierre Herme (Spanish Ed.)
Pierre Herme
Manufacturer: Culinary & Hospitality Industry Publication Services
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 8472120589

Customer Reviews:

An amazing catalogue of Pierre Herme's talent.......2006-04-23

Pierre Herme shows why he's the best patissier in the world and his willingness to share his recipes and secrets in the scientific and precise world of pastry is just unthinkable.

Like any chef ahead of his game (Think...Ferran Adria of El Bulli or Thomas Keller of French Laundry), he hides nothing and spills out everything.

His macaroons are pure simplicity but the precision and process that goes into it is breath-taking and garners on-going discussions on the EG forums.

Be warned though, this is a book geared for professionals and the quantities are huge. Also, he does not specify the pan sizes and is very vague on instructions.

Publishing a book like this is cost prohibitive, and he assumes that the person buying this book would be a pastry professional. If he were to include more precise instructions, it would be a thicker volume costing lots more.

Anyway, there are only so few ways you can make a genoise or a ganache. If you want clearer instructions, get his dessert books with Dorie Greenspan, which will probably cover most of the techniques needed in more detail for different components.

I've got this book and can't wait for his new one, PH10 which will be translated into English.

An amazing book, by an amazing chef. One day, I hope to meet him in person and invite him to do a masterclass for my customers in Thailand.

A Great Book for Pastry Professionals.......1999-12-09

I bought this book in Paris on impulse because Pierre Herme was in the bookstore to sign books. After the initial rush died down, I was expecting to be disappointed when I actually get to read it- but was I in for a surprise. It offered lots of information about Pierre Herme's philosophy and techniques.

Don't be put off by its coffee-table book appearance with its large photos- it gives you lots of ideas in cake design and decorating.

The recipes are very precise with the ingredient list measured by weight and some with their ideal temperatures specified. There is also an illustration of the cakes' components and how they are put together.

Overall, this book is ideal for those with a particular level of skill and knowledge in Pastry and may be a bit too technical for the beginners. But it is balanced by the beautiful whole-page photos.

Beautiful book for professional pastry chefs.......1998-09-04

For some pastry chefs, Pierre Herme is a god. This book is his offering back to us. It contains beautiful pictures and wonderful tasting recipes for whole cakes, tarts and petit fours. No plated desserts are covered.

I love this book and turn to it whenever I am developing something new and seek inspiration. The recipes I have tried are very solid. However, Herme includes little detail in terms of instruction. He assumes the reader knows how to interpret lists of ingredients, assemble the pastries and modern finishing techniques.

The book was written while Herme was still at Fauchon.

Average customer rating:
Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme
Dorie, Herme, Pierre Greenspan
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUBO24

Average customer rating:
Desserts by Pierre Herme
Pierre Herme & Dorie Greenspan
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUDFU8

Average customer rating:
Larouse des Desserts
Pierre Herme
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
French | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 2035823536
Release Date: 2006-10-11

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Larousse des desserts
Pierre Hermé
Manufacturer: Larousse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 2035602726

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Mes desserts au chocolat
Pierre Hermé , and Jean-Louis Bloch-Lainé
Manufacturer: Agnès Viénot Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 2914645171

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