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To A, because no one does it alone
 BASE FILLING FINISHING TECHNIQUE

TARTS

Mixed Fruit Tart Vanilla Sablé Tart Pastry Cream Assorted fresh fruits How to Build a Tart
Shell

Baked Apple Almond Sablé Breton Almond Frangipane Caramelized Apples Baked Almond
Frangipane Tart Frangipane Tart

Flan Vanilla Sablé Tart Pastry Cream Flan

Shell

Lemon Earl Grey Tart Hazelnut Sablé Tart Lemon Curd Earl Grey Italian How to Build a Tart
Shell Meringue

Strawberry Honey Vanilla Sablé Tart Pastry Cream + Fresh strawberries, How to Build a Tart
Crème Fraîche Tart Shell Crème Fraîche honeycomb, Nappage
Whipped Ganache + Glaze
Strawberry Jam

Cherry Tart Vanilla Sablé Tart Cherry Jam + Almond Nappage Glaze + How to Build a Tart
Shell Cake + Pastry Cream fresh cherries

Salted Caramel Chocolate Sablé Tart Dark Chocolate Caramel Glaze + sea How to Build a Tart
Chocolate Tart Shell Ganache salt

CAKES

Lemon Pound Cake Lemon Pound Cake Nappage Glaze

Banana Bread with Banana Bread Caramelized Bananas

Chestnut-Whiskey + Chestnut-Whiskey
Chantilly Cream Chantilly Cream

Tiramisu Ladyfingers + Mascarpone Whipped Cocoa powder Tiramisu

Amaretto Espresso Ganache
Syrup

Triple Chocolate Chocolate Cake Dark Chocolate Chocolate How to Assemble a

Cake Ganache Buttercream + cocoa Layer Cake
powder

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Base Cherry Jam Chocolate How to Assemble a

Cake Buttercream + fresh Layer Cake
cherries

Apricot Elderflower Almond Cake + Vanilla Whipped Fresh apricots + Roulade

Roulade Elderflower Syrup Ganache + Apricot Nappage Glaze
Gelée

Peach Muscovado Ladyfingers + Rose Strawberry Jam + Nappage Glaze Charlotte

Sugar Charlotte Water Syrup Muscovado Sugar
Whipped Ganache +
fresh peaches

Fig Molasses Olive Molasses Almond Olive Oil Mousse + Fresh figs + Vanilla How to Assemble a
Oil Cake Cake Fig Jam Chantilly Cream Mousse Cake
 Chocolate Chip Cookie Base + Coconut Whipped Italian Meringue How to Assemble a
Cookie Coconut Cake Chocolate Cake Ganache Layer Cake

MOUSSE CAKES AND MORE

Hazelnut Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Milk Chocolate Dark Chocolate Glaze How to Assemble a
Cherry Cake Cake Mousse, (made with Mousse Cake
gianduja)

Peanut Butter Crunch Caramelized Puffed Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate How to Assemble a
Cake Rice Base Mousse Ganache Mousse Cake

Matcha Passion Fruit Almond Cake Matcha Mousse + White Chocolate How to Assemble a
Mousse Cake Passion Fruit Curd Glaze Mousse Cake

Chocolate Chocolate Cake Dark Chocolate Caramelized Pears + How to Assemble a

Champagne Pear Champagne Mousse Chocolate Mousse Cake
Cake + Pear Compote Buttercream

Raspberry Cream Round Choux Base, Raspberry Jam Fresh raspberries +

Puff Cake with Profiterole Top Vanilla Chantilly
Cream

Grapefruit Tarragon Italian Meringue Grapefruit Curd Fresh grapefruit +

Pavlova (Baked) Tarragon Chantilly
Cream + Nappage
Glaze

Blackberry Lemon Italian Meringue Blackberry Jam + Fresh blackberries

Verbena Pavlova (Baked) Lemon Verbena
Chiboust

SOMETHING SWEET

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Chip

Cookie Cookie

Chocolate Chip Ice Chocolate Chip Vanilla Ice Cream

Cream Sandwich Cookie

Linzer Cookie Gingerbread Sablé Raspberry Jam Confectioners’ sugar Linzer Cookie
Tart Shell

Basil Truffles Basil Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder Truffles

Ganache

Chocolate Mousse Milk Chocolate Vanilla Chantilly

Mousse Cream

Roasted Fruit Roasted Fruit +

Crumble Streusel Crumble

Rosemary Caramel Rosemary-Infused Soft Caramel Sea salt

Brownie Chocolate Brownies

Hazelnut Meringues + Ice Cream + Toasted

Ice Cream Hazelnut Meringue
Table of Contents
Before you Begin 9
Bases 12
My Go-To Vanilla Sablé Tart Shell 14
Chocolate Sablé Tart Shell 20
Gingerbread Sablé Tart Shell 22
Hazelnut Sablé Tart Shell 23
My Go-To Chocolate Cake 26
Chocolate Bourbon Cake 29
Cherry Chocolate Cake 30
Espresso-Soaked Chocolate Cake 31
Extra Syrups for Soaking the Cake 33
My Go-To Almond Cake 35
Matcha Almond Cake 39
Molasses Almond Cake 40
Olive Oil Almond Cake 41
My Go-To Ladyfingers 45
Citrus Almond Cake Or Ladyfingers 51
Soaked Ladyfingers 52
My Go-To Banana Bread 57
Strawberry Banana Bread 60
Pumpkin Banana Bread 61
Zucchini Banana Bread 63
My Go-To Vanilla Pound Cake 65
Lemon Pound Cake 68
Ginger Pound Cake 69
My Go-To Cookie Base 70
Fleur De Sel Cookie Base 74
Spiced Or Herbed Cookie Base 75
Chocolate Chip Or Walnut Cookie Base 76
My Go-To Chocolate Brownies 78
Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies 81
Rosemary-Infused Chocolate Brownies 83
My Go-To Sablé Breton 84
Chocolate Sablé Breton 88
Hazelnut Sablé Breton 89
My Go-To Caramelized Puffed Rice 90
Chocolate Or Peanut Butter Caramelized Puffed Rice 93
My Go-To Baked Vanilla Meringue (for a Pavlova) 95
 Flavored Baked Meringue 98
My Go-To Pâte à Choux 100
Fillings 104
My Go-To Pastry Cream 107
Almond Frangipane 111
Fruit-Flavored Pastry Cream 113
Chocolate Or Nut Pastry Cream 114
Herb-Infused Pastry Cream 115
Chiboust 116
My Go-To Lemon Curd 120
Citrus Curds 123
My Go-To Dark Chocolate Ganache 124
Spice- Or Herb-Infused Dark Chocolate Ganache 127
Fruit Purée Chocolate Ganache 128
Coconut Milk Dark Chocolate Ganache 129
Spiked Dark Chocolate Ganache 130
My Go-To Apple Compote 134
Pear Compote 136
Mango Compote 137
Rhubarb Compote 138
My Go-To Stone Fruit Jam 139
Berry Jam 142
Fig Jam 144
Cherry Jam 145
My Go-To Fruit Gelée 148
Passion Fruit Gelée 151
Spreadable Peach Gelée (With Pectin) 153
My Go-To Mascarpone Whipped Ganache 157
Lychee Whipped Ganache 160
Coconut Whipped Ganache 161
Crème Fraîche Whipped Ganache 163
Muscovado Sugar Whipped Ganache 165
Vanilla Whipped Ganache 166
My Go-To Vanilla Mousse 167
Tea-Flavored Mousse 170
Pear Mousse 171
Olive Oil Mousse 172
Caramel Mousse 174
Peanut Butter Mousse 175
My Go-To Dark Chocolate Mousse 176
Milk Chocolate Mousse 179
Dark Chocolate Champagne Mousse 181
Raspberry Dark Chocolate Mousse 182
 My Go-To Soft Caramel 183
Rose Or Grappa Flavored Soft Caramel 186
Passion Fruit Soft Caramel 187
Lemongrass Soft Caramel 188
Finishings 189
My Go-To Buttercream 193
Flavored Buttercream 196
My Go-To Nappage Glaze 197
Fruit Purée Nappage Glaze 198
Caramel Glaze 200
My Go-To Dark Chocolate Glaze 201
My Go-To White Chocolate Glaze 204
My Go-To Caramelized Bananas 206
Caramelized Apples 209
Caramelized Pears 210
Caramelized Peaches 211
My Go-To Roasted Fruits 213
My Go-To Fresh Fruits 215
My Go-To Vanilla Chantilly Cream 217
Flavored Chantilly Cream 219
My Go-To Italian Meringue (for Piping and Finishing) 222
Chocolate Meringue 225
Earl Grey Italian Meringue 226
Raspberry Meringue 227
Toasted Hazelnut Meringue 229
My Go-To Streusel Crumble 230
Oat Streusel Crumble 233
My Go-To Vanilla Ice Cream 235
Chocolate Ice Cream 238
Fruit Swirl Ice Cream 239
Salted Caramel Ice Cream 240
Assembly & Techniques 242
How to Fonçage a Tart Shell 244
How to Build a Tart 246
How to Assemble a Layer Cake 254
How to Assemble a Mousse Cake 261
How to Glaze a Cake 265
My Tips for Decorations 269
Using a Piping Bag 271
Acknowledgments 277
About the Author 278
Index 281
The Building Blocks of Baking

When I was growing up, I loved to play with building blocks. With the blocks scattered across
the floor of my parents’ living room, I saw endless possibilities: each cube could become
something new and different when joined with another.

I never got tired of playing that game. These days, in the kitchen, I still play the role of builder
and architect. A chef, unlike a home cook, doesn’t follow a recipe for a cake, with a prescribed
base, filling, and finishing. We share basic recipes for components, and build those into cookies,
cakes, tarts, and other showstoppers.

These components are the building blocks of baking. And with them, there are endless dessert
possibilities.

This is the way I want to teach you how to bake.

The book is split into three sections:

BASES: cakes, tarts, cookies, brownies, and more
FILLINGS: mousses, jams, curds, pastry creams, and more
FINISHINGS: meringues, chocolate glazes, and more

Each recipe starts off with a reliable go-to—this is your baseline. Perfect these first, then
explore their variations. A vanilla cake with a bit of clove, ginger, and cinnamon turns into a
wonderful gingerbread for the holidays. A pastry cream can be mixed with fruit or chocolate or
even hazelnut paste.

Select from each of the three sections to create your showstopper. Choose a base, a filling, and
a finishing, then combine them. And don’t worry—I’ll show you how to do that in the Techniques
section where you assemble everything together. Perhaps you’re in the mood for a decadent
cake with a brownie base, a rich mascarpone mousse filling, and a caramel glaze. Or maybe a
light lemon tart with a vanilla meringue.

Many of these components can be enjoyed on their own, and I’ll show you how to do that, too. A
ganache can be chilled and rolled into chocolate truffles. A pastry cream can become a
makeshift flan. A tart shell can be broken and sandwiched together with jam to make a cookie.

You’ll learn to bake, but more important, to create. The possibilities really are endless.