Table of contents for Spring 2016 in Bake from Scratch

I’M A FRANCOPHILE. When I travel to France, I stop at the first boulangerie I can find for a pain au raisin and a viennoise au chocolat. Each day after is filled with visits to pâtisseries and boulangeries that line the streets and anchor the corners of cities and towns throughout the country. I devour the renowned confections and baked goods that have inspired many of the recipes that fill the pages of our very first French Issue. After months of daydreaming about stories to include, we knew we wanted our pastry-loving friend and local expert Clotilde Dusoulier, of the blog Chocolate & Zucchini, to take us on a quest to find the perfect Paris croissant (page 49). And I would be remiss not to mention that this story was…

Salt was one of the first things traded by mankind. Towns have been built on it. Wars have been waged over it. As anthropologist Margaret Visser pointed out in her 1986 book Much Depends on Dinner, “The word ‘salary’ dates from the Roman distribution of salt as a part of their soldiers’ pay; an inadequate person, we still say, is ‘not worth their salt.’” That’s how fundamental this crystalline mineral is to our very being—and to our pleasure. (And what is being without pleasure?) At the top of the salt ladder comes fleur de sel, which literally translates as “flower of salt.” It is a hand-harvested, refined sea salt prized for its textural and mineral complexity. The well-known French Maldon is close—crunchy, salty without being bitter—but no cigar. Flake salt…

macarons Makes about 36 We highly recommend using gram measurements for this recipe. Precision is key for the best macaron outcome. 11/3 cups (150 grams) confectioners’ sugar 1¼ cups (150 grams) almond flour ½ cup (110 grams) aged egg whites, divided (see note) Gel food coloring* ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon (150 grams) granulated sugar 3 tablespoons (37 grams) water ½ teaspoon (2 grams) meringue powder Desired filling (recipes follow) 1. Line the back side of baking sheets with Silpat nonstick baking mats. 2. In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar and almond flour. Add ¼ cup (55 grams) egg whites and desired food coloring. Set aside. 3. In a small saucepan, bring granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water to a boil over medium-high heat. Let…

POACHED LEEKS WITH EGGS AND SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE Makes 6 to 8 servings With our quick-poach method, the leeks melt to tender in only a few minutes. Soft-boiled eggs and a bit of toasted hazelnut complement the shallot vinaigrette and add rich texture. 6 cups water 1 tablespoon kosher salt 10 leeks, cleaned and trimmed 4 soft-boiled eggs, divided Shallot Vinaigrette (recipe follows) ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts Garnish: chervil 1. To a large bowl, add ice water; set aside. 2. In a small stockpot, bring 6 cups water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and maintain a simmer. Add leeks, and gently simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and drain. Add leeks to ice water, and let cool completely; drain, and…

STRAWBERRY, PISTACHIO, AND ROSE PROFITEROLES Makes about 36 Rose water and strawberries give a spring twist to these light and airy cream-filled pastries. Pastry Cream: 2 cups half-and-half ½ cup (93 grams) granulated sugar, divided 6 egg yolks ¼ cup (45 grams) all-purpose flour Pinch of salt ¼ cup (58 grams) unsalted butter ¼ cup pistachios, chopped, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon rose water Strawberry Glaze: ½ cup fresh strawberries, chopped, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 3 cups (405 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1½ teaspoons rose water Choux Pastry: 1 cup water 6 tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar 1 1/3 cups (194 grams) all-purpose flour 1 cup eggs (about 4 large eggs and 2 egg whites)…

In the heart of the Loire Valley, about 100 miles south of Paris, the hillsides are swathed in Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Cabernet Franc vines. Broad rivers snake their way through the region. Immaculately restored châteaux anchor tiny towns from Blois to Chenonceau—majestic reminders of bygone days. It’s here, in this verdant slice of the Hexagon, that one of the most universally loved and recognized of all French desserts was born: Tarte Tatin. A Tarte Tatin is simply an upside-down apple tart. But that’s like saying Versailles was a house. Buttery, slightly salty pastry dough spotlights apples cooked to a rich, deep amber. It’s modest in its simplicity. Yet, when eaten warm from the oven, this elegantly rustic dessert becomes deeply personal—a mouth epiphany. As with many things of brilliance,…

JULIA BAINBRIDGE Julia Bainbridge is a food writer who has worked at Yahoo!, Bon Appétit, and Condé Nast Traveler. Since then, her work has been published in Organic Life, Saveur, and Afar, to name a few, and she hopes she can add a few more to that list soon. Julia has a lot of feelings, one of them being loneliness, so she hosts a podcast called The Lonely Hour, in which she interviews guests about solitude and aloneness. It’s not a bummer, though, she promises. Very First French Pastry Bite: “A rock hard pain au chocolat from a Maryland grocery store, which set the bar very low. Oh, how my world has opened up since then.” Favorite French Apéritif: “Pastis, taken in thimble-sized sips.” CLOTILDE DUSOULIER Clotilde Dusoulier is the…

Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel de Camargue Camargue, France The Camargue is western Europe’s largest river delta, making its marshy land ripe for salt harvesting. saltworks.us $12.95 for 4.4 ounces Bali Reef Fleur de Sel Sea Salt Bali, Indonesia This fleur de sel is drier than most, but its crystals are slightly larger, providing a hefty crunch. themeadow.com $6 for 1.5 ounces Hand-harvested sea salt from Île de Ré Île de Ré, France Fleur de sel has been gathered on this island off of France’s Atlantic coast since the seventh century. williams-sonoma.com $14.95 for 8.8 ounces Mark Bitterman Fleur de Sel Guatemala Salt expert Mark Bitterman produces this fleur de sel in salt pans that supplied the Mayan Empire at the height of its power. surlatable.com $14 for…

The scene is a typical Paris café in early morning. A man approaches the counter in full business attire. “Un express, s’il vous plaît!” As he waits to the clang and hiss of the espresso machine, he plucks a fresh croissant from the basket on the zinc bartop and downs it in three bites, shielding his tie from the shower of buttery crumbs. Croissants are everywhere in Paris. From the smell wafting out of bakeries’ air vents to the bulging paper bag brought in by a coworker for the first meeting of the day to little kids devouring their after-school snack, the golden, crescent-shaped treat is as much a part of the scenery as the Eiffel Tower. But it would be naïve to imagine you can walk into a random…

GÂTEAU BASQUE Makes 1 (9-inch) cake A flaky crust surrounds a pastry cream in this traditional dessert from the Basque region of France. The name is French and means simply "Basque Cake." In the Basque language, the cake is called "Etxeko biskotxa" or "cake of the house." 3¼ cups (465 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ tablespoons (18 grams) baking powder 1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter 2 cups (370 grams) sugar 3 large egg yolks 3 large eggs, divided Custard Filling (recipe follows) 1 tablespoon water Confectioners’ sugar 1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg…

HERBED GOAT CHEESE TART Makes 1 (8-inch) tart This dish has the tart flavor of cheesecake and can be served as an appetizer or as an add-on to spruce up a basic cheese plate. Shop your local farmers’ markets for any locally-made goat cheese. We used Belle Chevre from Elkmont, Alabama. Crust: 1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt 4 ounces cream cheese, softened ¼ cup (58 grams) unsalted butter 1 large egg Filling: 11 ounces goat cheese, softened 8 ounces cream cheese, softened ¼ cup (58 grams) butter, softened 1 teaspoon lemon zest 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon (9 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt 3 large eggs ½ cup chopped fresh basil 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives 2…

BOULANGERIE (boo-LAN-zhree) A bakery that specializes in the art of making bread BRIOCHE (bree-osh) A French bread or pastry whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb CHOUX (shoo) Light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, éclairs, and other delicate French treats CLAFOUTIS (klah-foo-TEE) A tart made of fruit, typically cherries, baked in a sweet batter FINANCIER (fee-NAHN-see-ay) A small French cake made with browned butter GANACHE (ga-NAHSH) A mixture of chocolate and cream used as a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling GÂTEAU (gat-OH) Cake, often containing layers of cream or fruit; gâteaux (plural) LANGUES DE CHAT (long-duh-shah) Literally “Cat Tongue,” refers to a flat, sweet, finger-shaped cookie MADELEINE (mad-len) Small sponge cakes typically baked in a shell-shaped mold MILLE FEUILLE (meel-foy) thin…

Long before its trademark almond green and gold colors began to grace the chicest streets from Tokyo to Florence, Ladurée was a site of pilgrimage for gourmands visiting Paris. Few presents promise to please food-loving friends more than one of its ornate brocade-like pastel boxes brought back across the Atlantic filled with delicate macarons. Arguably the world’s most famous pastry house, Ladurée is a family business several times over, from its eponymous founder to the creator of its signature treat to the family that launched it into a global brand. In 1862, Louis Ernest Ladurée opened a small bakery on rue Royale in Paris, near the Champs-Elysées and Tuileries Gardens on the Right Bank. After a fire destroyed the original bakery in 1871, he expanded it into a pastry shop…

Basic Brioche Dough Makes 12 Mini Brioche à Tête, 1 large Brioche à Tête, 1 Bubble-Top Brioche Loaf, or 1 Brioche au Chocolat Loaf At its heart, brioche is the gorgeous love child of a pastry chef and a bread baker. Think of it as part bread-part cake that combines the backbone of a dessert maven’s repertoire (milk, eggs, sugar, and butter) with the rich yeast of the boulangerie. 1/3 cup warm milk (80° to 100°) 3 tablespoons (54 grams) sugar 1 tablespoon (12 grams) active dry yeast 3 cups (400 grams) all-purpose flour, divided 5 large eggs, room temperature 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine milk, sugar, and…

1.A boulangerie (bakery) centers on bread and viennoiseries (puff pastry confections such as croissant and pain au chocolat); a pâtisserie (pastry shop) focuses on pastries. It’s a rare boulanger who makes good pastries and vice versa, so stick to their respective area of specialty. 2.Bakeries have fresh croissants at opening time (typically at 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m.), then churn out a couple more batches throughout the day, with the last one scheduled for 4:30 p.m. when kids get out of school. 3.Parisians know their food, and they’ll only wait in line if a bakery is worth it. So if you’re scouting out a new neighborhood, look for the boulangerie that has a line snaking out onto the sidewalk. 4.Since lines can be long at the popular places (see #3!)…

Yossy Arefi uses nature as her baking guide year-round. In her debut cookbook, Sweeter off the Vine (Ten Speed Press; available March 22), the photographer, stylist, and food blogger demonstrates how to utilize the freshest ingredients available with more than 70 recipes, divided into four sections by season. Here, we chat with Yossy, who formerly worked as the baker and cake decorator at New York City’s Alice’s Tea Cup on the Upper East Side, about her decision to singlehandedly write and photograph images for the book (wow!), her passions for baking and photography, and how she combined the two with her award-winning food blog, Apt. 2B Baking Co. Has it always been important to you to document the food you make? I’ve always had an interest in photography. It was…

The Art of the Crumb Pages 27-34 Petit Beurre Set from Mason Cash & Co., masoncash.co.uk. The Essential Brioche Pages 35-44 Pillivuyt Pâtisserie Round Cake and Brioche Bundle and Pillivuyt Pâtisserie Muffin Molds, food52.com. Make Mine a Macaron Pages 45-48 Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, 609-395-0219, silpat.com. A Taste of Provence Pages 61-68 Gien France Fliets Bleus Dinner Plate from Replacements, Ltd., 800-737-5223, replacements.com. Vintage Floral Jacquard Table Runner in grey, Bone Handled Cheese Knife and Spreader, and Copper Beverage Tub from Williams-Sonoma, 877-812-6235, www.williamssonoma.com williamssonoma.com. French Connection Page 79 Photos courtesy Nick Simonite for Bakery Lorraine, Ty Milford for St. Honoré Boulangerie. Page 80 Photo courtesy Alana Hale for Le Marais. Page 81 Photo courtesy Misha Hettie for Bakery Lorraine. Page 82 Photos courtesy Mark Woods for Inès Pâtisserie; Le Marais;…