HEADLINER
Practical Books
REASONED GOURMANDISE
Chocolate éclair, lemon tart, millefeuille, how do you lower fat and sugar content in the classics of French pastry without sacrificing gluttony? This is the challenge taken up by the famous pastry chef and master chocolatier Frédéric Bau, who revisits traditional recipes, seducing gourmets far beyond France.
"The Gourmandise Raisonnée is combining the good, the beautiful and the healthy", explains Frédéric Bau, who after many years of scientific research performed together with nutritionists and renowned chefs, proposes "new healthy but equally gluttonous pastry recipes".
Almond milk, hazelnut oil, rice cream, chia seeds... These ingredients considerably lighten the great classics of French pastry; up to 30% less calories while keeping their taste and texture. An example? "La tarte infiniment vanille" (infinitely vanilla tart), a reinterpretation of one of the emblematic creations of Paris’s Maison Pierre Hermé where the number of egg yolks in the crust has been reduced, the flour substituted by semi-whole rice flour, cornstarch and potato starch, ganache and mascarpone substituted by a preparation of skimmed milk, egg whites, white sugar and chicory root fibers.
60 recipes have been revisited. A real feat for this master pastry chef, always looking for new methods to "be a guarantor of both pleasure and well-being" for his customers. Selling 10,000 copies in its first year, Gourmandise Raisonnée first convinced the French. "Regeneration and well-being are in. The press has emphasized the professional nature of the book. Today in France, amateurs are looking for alternatives and new techniques. They can really learn some from this type of work," explains Karine Cariou, head of foreign rights at La Martinière that published the book in October 2020.
"Fréderic Bau, renowned abroad for his historic sales figures, and the theme of being reasonable have already seduced foreign publishers, even before having seen the complete work," says Karine Cariou who has sold the translation rights in English, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Fréderic Bau’s strong personality has also contributed to the book’s success abroad. "He goes to trade shows abroad, does live interviews on social networks. In Spain he won the Pierre Gagnaire Prize at the Barcelona Gastronomic Forum, where he competed against Spanish pastry chefs."
Even light, French pastries seem to impose themselves. To date, no foreign publishers have asked for modifications of either the recipes or the presentations in the book, whose "attractive cover and high quality photos" have also appealed to foreign publishers, says Karine Cariou.
Katja Petrovic
December 2021
Chocolate éclair, lemon tart, millefeuille, how do you lower fat and sugar content in the classics of French pastry without sacrificing gluttony? This is the challenge taken up by the famous pastry chef and master chocolatier Frédéric Bau, who revisits traditional recipes, seducing gourmets far beyond France.
"The Gourmandise Raisonnée is combining the good, the beautiful and the healthy", explains Frédéric Bau, who after many years of scientific research performed together with nutritionists and renowned chefs, proposes "new healthy but equally gluttonous pastry recipes".
Almond milk, hazelnut oil, rice cream, chia seeds... These ingredients considerably lighten the great classics of French pastry; up to 30% less calories while keeping their taste and texture. An example? "La tarte infiniment vanille" (infinitely vanilla tart), a reinterpretation of one of the emblematic creations of Paris’s Maison Pierre Hermé where the number of egg yolks in the crust has been reduced, the flour substituted by semi-whole rice flour, cornstarch and potato starch, ganache and mascarpone substituted by a preparation of skimmed milk, egg whites, white sugar and chicory root fibers.
60 recipes have been revisited. A real feat for this master pastry chef, always looking for new methods to "be a guarantor of both pleasure and well-being" for his customers. Selling 10,000 copies in its first year, Gourmandise Raisonnée first convinced the French. "Regeneration and well-being are in. The press has emphasized the professional nature of the book. Today in France, amateurs are looking for alternatives and new techniques. They can really learn some from this type of work," explains Karine Cariou, head of foreign rights at La Martinière that published the book in October 2020.
"Fréderic Bau, renowned abroad for his historic sales figures, and the theme of being reasonable have already seduced foreign publishers, even before having seen the complete work," says Karine Cariou who has sold the translation rights in English, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Fréderic Bau’s strong personality has also contributed to the book’s success abroad. "He goes to trade shows abroad, does live interviews on social networks. In Spain he won the Pierre Gagnaire Prize at the Barcelona Gastronomic Forum, where he competed against Spanish pastry chefs."
Even light, French pastries seem to impose themselves. To date, no foreign publishers have asked for modifications of either the recipes or the presentations in the book, whose "attractive cover and high quality photos" have also appealed to foreign publishers, says Karine Cariou.
Katja Petrovic
December 2021
December 2021