Weighing in at nearly 6 pounds, the Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts is a large tome with 512 pages of goodness. It is a reference book, hence the weight, and it's based on years of teaching at the French Culinary Institute, hence the goodness.

The book covers anything and everything having to do with pastry from tools and ingredients on through breads, cakes, and confections. The chapters, called "sessions" by the authors, are centered on the basic pastry doughs: french tart dough, cream puff dough, puff pastry dough, and bread. Rounding out the sessions are those on other pastry items including creams and custards; cakes; and petits fours.

Each dough session starts off with an overview of the basic dough including a treatise on the ingredients that make up the dough and variations on the dough. Following that are techniques to make the dough and how to work with it. Within each session are sets of demonstrations that cover just about anything you'd ever want to make with that dough. The demonstrations are chock full of pictures that go  into detail on each of the important steps.  One of the best parts about the book are little "Dean's Tip" boxes in the margin. These little tips are spread through the book giving great little tips that you would get only if you were sitting in class at the Culinary Institute. 

Lots of the recipes are on my list of to try items but since I'm a fan of pastry, chocolate and ice cream the profiteroles seemed the perfect one to share!

Win a copy of The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts! - details

Profiteroles (Small Ice Cream-Filled Puffs)

amazon.com

Makes 4 servings
Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Twelve 5-centimeter (2-inch) round choux, baked and cooled (see below)
• Twelve 4.5-centimeter (1 3/4-inch) round scoops vanilla ice cream
• Sauce au Chocolat (recipe follows)
• Confectioners' sugar

Equipment

• Serrated knife
• Small ice cream scoop
• Attractive sauceboat
• 4 dessert plates
• Small fine-mesh sieve

Prepare your mise en place.

Using a serrated knife, carefully cut each choux in half crosswise, keeping each pastry together.

Working quickly, place a small scoop of ice cream in the bottom of each choux. Place the top piece of pastry over the ice cream.

Pour the chocolate sauce into an attractive sauceboat or pool an equal portion in the center of each dessert plate.

Place 3 profiteroles on each plate. Place the confectioners' sugar in a small fine-mesh sieve and, lightly tapping the side of the sieve, dust each plate with sugar.

Serve immediately, with the sauce passed on the side.

Sauce au Chocolat (Chocolate Sauce)

From The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts  by The French Culinary Institute (Harry N. Abrams, 2009)

Makes 475 milliliters (2 cups)
Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 300 grams (11 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 265 milliliters (9 ounces) whole milk
• 125 milliliters (4 ounces) heavy cream
• 115 grams (4 ounces) sugar
• 30 grams (1 ounce) unsalted butter
  

Equipment

• Medium stainless-steel bowl
• Medium saucepan
• Rubber spatula
• Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Bain-marie, optional
• Plastic film, optional
• Container with lid, optional

Prepare your mise en place.

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium stainlesssteel bowl. Set aside.

Place the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to just a boil. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and let rest for about 30 seconds to allow the chocolate to begin to melt. Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.

Combine the cream, sugar, and butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to just a boil, watching carefully so that the mixture does not boil over.

As soon as the cream mixture comes to a boil, scrape the melted chocolate into it. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 3 minutes, or just until the mixture returns to the boil. Immediately remove it from the heat.

If you do not need the sauce right away, pour it into a bain-marie, cover with plastic film, and keep warm until ready to use. Alternatively, pour it into a container, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Reheat the sauce in a bain-marie when ready to use. (When reheating, always use a bain-marie because the sauce will scorch or burn if reheated over direct heat.)

Tips

The ice cream may be scooped in advance and kept frozen on a sheet pan until ready to use.

The profiteroles may be attached to the serving plate with a small dot of the sauce. This will keep them from sliding around on the plate as they are being served.

Classically, three small profiteroles are served per person.

This chocolate sauce should always be served warm.

Enough sauce should be served so that some can accompany every bite of the profiterole.

Pâte à Choux (Choux Pastry or Cream Puff Dough)

From The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts  by The French Culinary Institute (Harry N. Abrams, 2009)
Makes about 4 dozen choux puffs

Estimated time to complete: 90 minutes

• 250 grams (83?4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 340 grams (12 ounces) bread flour, sifted
• 10 to 12 large eggs, at room temperature
• Egg wash
  

Equipment

• 2 baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silicone baking liners
• Stainless-steel saucepan

• Wooden spoon
• Rubber spatula
• Standing electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment
• Small bowl
• Pastry bag fitted with #5 plain tip

• Pastry brush

Prepare your mise en place.

Preheat the oven to 260ºC (500ºF) for a convection oven or 233ºC (450ºF) for a conventional or deck oven. Note: these are the instructions in the book, but typically convection oven temperatures are lower than conventional not the other way around.

Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Set aside.

Combine the butter, sugar, and salt with 475 milliliters (1 pint) water in a stainless-steel saucepan over high heat and bring to just a boil. Do not allow the water to boil for any length of time or it will begin to evaporate, and the proportion of liquid to dry ingredients will change, compromising the final dough. Once boiling, immediately remove the pan from the heat and, using a wooden spoon, quickly beat in the flour.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and continue beating in the flour for 30 seconds. The mixture should begin to thicken, dry out (dessécher), and form a mass. A thin film should form on the bottom of the pan and the mixture should begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Take care that you do not overcook the mixture, as the fat might separate out and the final product will have an unappetizing reddish tint.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Begin beating the paste at medium-low speed to release some steam and to allow it to cool somewhat. This is very important because the eggs will begin cooking if they are added while the paste is too hot.

Working with one at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and then add it to the paste, beating continuously until the paste is smooth and shiny. You will know you have added enough egg when 1) a ribbon of dough forms and does not break when the paddle is lifted out of the bowl; 2) a spoon run through the paste leaves a channel that fills in slowly; and 3) a dollop of paste lifted on a spatula curls over on itself and forms a hook.

The pâte à choux is now ready to be formed into whatever shape you need.

To make choux puffs, transfer the paste to the pastry bag and pipe it in alternating rows into 1.3-centimeter (1/2-inch) rounds on the prepared baking sheets, allowing sufficient room between each one to ensure even baking.

Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each piece with egg wash.

For convection ovens, place the choux in the preheated oven and immediately turn it off. Bake in the turned-off oven for 15 minutes. Then, turn the oven to 177ºC (350ºF) and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the choux are golden brown and baked through, with the color on the inside matching the color on the surface. You can also lift the pastries and check the cracks on the bottoms to make sure that they are done.

For conventional or deck ovens, place the choux in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until done.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the choux to cool for 20 minutes. Then proceed with the cutting and filling required for a specific recipe.

TIPS

Sifting the bread flour before adding it to the hot mixture ensures that it will not lump.

If the mixture seems to need only a bit more egg, lightly beat one egg and add just a part of it to the batter.

Using too much egg wash will inhibit the rise of the choux during baking.

Evaluating Your Sucess

The choux paste should be smooth and shiny.

The piped pieces should be consistent in size and shape.

The egg wash should cover the top of the puffs only.  It should not drip down the sides and settle on the baking sheet.

The baked choux should be golden brown, even in the cracks, as well as uniform in height and width.

The interior of the choux should be soft and hollow, and the center should not be wet or gooey.

The cracks in the baked choux should be along the base, not across the top.

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