Tonton Frometon Gueuleton Normand

The Recipe Book

Traditional French pastry, tested and noted by hand.

1. Basics

Creams

Crème Pâtissière

Detailed recipe →

CAP base + Grolet enriched — vanilla, chocolate, coffee — 20 min — 500g batch — Easy

Base (500g)

  • 500 g whole milk
  • 80 g egg yolks
  • 90 g sugar
  • 30 g plain flour
  • 30 g cornstarch
  • 1 vanilla pod

Method

  1. Infuse milk with vanilla 10 min. Whisk yolks, sugar, flour, starch. Temper with hot milk.
  2. Return to pan, whisk on heat until thick. Boil 1 full minute. Cool: plastic wrap on surface, 40 min in freezer.

Crème Diplomate

Detailed recipe →

Pastry cream lightened with gelatine-set whipped cream — 45 min + 2h rest — fills ~20 éclairs — Intermediate

CAP version

  • 500 g milk + 1 vanilla pod
  • 80 g yolks, 90 g sugar
  • 30 g flour + 30 g cornstarch
  • 40 g butter + 4 gelatine leaves
  • 400 g whipping cream

Crème pâtissière

Cook pastry cream. Off heat, add butter and bloomed gelatine. Chill film-covered.

Temper & fold

Rest 1h minimum. Let it come up slightly, whisk smooth. Fold in whipped cream in two additions.

Rest 2h

Refrigerate at least 2h before piping. Cream firms as gelatine sets fully.

Chantilly Mascarpone Vanille

Detailed recipe →

Grolet's infused vanilla cream — overnight rest, whipped before service — 20 min + 12 h — Intermediate

  • 430 g whipping cream
  • 2 vanilla pods
  • 15 g sugar
  • 45 g mascarpone
  • 2 gelatine leaves (2 g each)

Infuse

Heat ⅓ of cream with vanilla. Pour through chinois over mascarpone + gelatine. Blend in remaining cold cream. Rest 12h.

Whip

Whip the rested cream to medium peaks just before use. Pipe immediately.

Meringues

French Meringue

Whites whipped with sugar — fragile, for baking — 10 min — Easy

  • 100 g egg whites (room temp.)
  • 100 g caster sugar (added gradually)
  • 100 g icing sugar (folded in at end)

Whip

Whisk whites on medium-low speed. When foamy, add caster sugar in 3 additions. Whip to stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in icing sugar.

Use

Pipe immediately. Dry in the oven at 90–100 °C for 1.5–2 h. Best used same day — weeps at humidity. Not safe to eat uncooked.

Meringue Italienne

Detailed recipe →

Hot syrup poured into whipping whites — stable, glossy, pasteurised — 20 min — Intermediate

  • 50 g water
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 100 g egg whites (room temp.)
  • 10 g caster sugar (for whites)

Syrup

Cook water + 200 g sugar to 118 °C. Brush pan sides with wet brush if crystals form.

Whites

Whisk room-temp whites on medium, adding 10 g sugar in stages. Reach near-stiff peaks by the time syrup hits 118 °C.

Combine

Pour syrup in a slow stream down the bowl wall — not on the whisk. Whisk until bowl is cool to the touch (~10 min). Glossy, satiny bird's beak.

Doughs & Batters

Pâte Sucrée

Detailed recipe →

Grolet crémage method — one 20cm tart shell — 30 min (+ 4h rest) — Intermediate

  • 115 g butter, softened
  • 70 g icing sugar
  • 25 g almond or hazelnut powder
  • 45 g eggs
  • 190 g flour T65
  • 60 g potato starch

Crémage

  1. Paddle butter with icing sugar, almond powder, salt. Emulsify with egg. Add flour + starch, mix until just homogeneous.
  2. Rest 4h minimum in fridge. Roll 3mm. Line ring, freeze 2h minimum. Blind bake 165°C 30min.

Pâte Feuilletée

Detailed recipe →

Classic, quick (Felder), and inverted — three laminated pastry methods — 1–3 h + overnight — Advanced

Classic

  • 500 g flour T55, 250 g water, 10 g salt
  • 375 g tourage butter
  • 3 double turns

Rapide (Felder)

  • 200 g flour, 240 g cold butter cubes
  • 90 g water, sugar + salt
  • 5 single turns

Inversée

  • 300 g flour + 150 g water + 5 g salt
  • 300 g butter + 100 g flour (beurre manié)
  • 3 double turns, 1h rests

Classic

Mix détrempe, rest 1h. Flatten butter block. Enclose butter in dough. Roll + fold 3 double turns, 30 min rest between each. Overnight before use.

Rapide

Mix all cold with intact butter chunks. Rest 30 min. 5 single turns, chilling as needed. Ready in 1h.

Inversée

Beurre manié wraps around the détrempe (reversed). 3 double turns, 1h rests. Crispiest result — best for galette and mille-feuille.

Pâte à Choux

Detailed recipe →

The cooked paste behind éclairs, choux, Paris-Brest — 30 min — ~30 choux — Intermediate

CAP version

  • 250 g water
  • 100 g butter
  • 5 g salt
  • 150 g flour T55
  • 200–250 g eggs, beaten

Grolet version

  • 300 g water + 300 g milk
  • 270 g butter
  • 12 g salt, 25 g sugar
  • 330 g flour T65
  • 540 g eggs, beaten

Craquelin (optional)

  • 25 g each: butter, flour, brown sugar

Panade

Melt butter in liquid. Bring to a boil, add flour at once. Stir and dry over heat until paste pulls from the sides and a film forms on the pan base.

Eggs

Transfer to mixer with paddle. Beat on low until no steam. Add beaten eggs gradually until paste is smooth, glossy, and falls in a thick ribbon — ruban cassant.

Pipe & bake

Pipe into rounds or logs. Top with craquelin discs if using. Bake at 185 °C, 20–30 min. Do not open the oven. Pierce bases and dry on a rack.

Pâte à Brioche

Detailed recipe →

MDC, BPàP, and Grolet versions — Nanterre, tressée, à tête — 45 min + overnight — Intermediate

MDC (rich)

  • 500 g flour T45
  • 300 g eggs
  • 250 g butter (softened)
  • 50 g sugar, 20 g yeast, 10 g salt

BPàP (lighter)

  • 300 g flour T45
  • 90 g eggs + 90 g milk
  • 90 g butter, 40 g sugar, 12 g yeast

Knead

Mix all but butter 8–10 min until elastic. Add butter in pieces, knead 7–8 min more. Windowpane test.

Cold rise

30 min at room temp, degas, refrigerate overnight (or 1h minimum).

Shape & bake

Shape cold. Proof 1.5–2 h at 27 °C. Egg wash twice. Bake 180 °C, 20–25 min.

Almond Creams

Crème d'Amande

Detailed recipe →

Almond cream base — tant-pour-tant method — 10 min — Easy

  • 1 egg (weigh it — defines all quantities)
  • same weight butter, sugar, almond powder

Method

Beat butter + sugar. Add almond powder. Add egg gradually. Smooth, not airy. Pipe at room temperature.

Spreads & Inserts

Confit de Fruits

Detailed recipe →

Pectine NH fruit gel — raspberry, strawberry, fig, and any other fruit — 15 min — Easy

Base (raspberry)

  • 350 g raspberry purée
  • 8 g pectine NH
  • 100 g caster sugar

Mix & boil

Pre-mix pectine NH with sugar. Heat purée to 45 °C, rain in pectine-sugar. Bring to a rolling boil for 1–2 min.

Set

Strain, pour into mould or tart shell. Freeze for entremet inserts; refrigerate for tart layers. Can be re-melted.

Praliné

Detailed recipe →

Caramelised nut paste — hazelnut, almond, pistachio, pecan versions — 30–40 min — Intermediate

Noisettes (Grolet)

  • 380 g hazelnuts
  • 115 g sugar + 8 g fleur de sel

Pistache

  • 250 g pistachios
  • 40 g grape seed oil + 50 g icing sugar + 2 g salt

Roast

170 °C for 15–20 min. Cool slightly.

Caramel

Dry caramel to deep amber. Pour over warm nuts. Cool completely.

Blend

Pulse to crumbs, then run until desired texture — sandy paste or liquid. Keeps months in the fridge.

Gianduja

Detailed recipe →

Hazelnut and milk chocolate paste — 20 min — ~375 g — Easy

  • 150 g hazelnuts
  • 150 g milk chocolate couverture
  • 75 g icing sugar

Roast & blend

Roast hazelnuts 165 °C, 12–15 min. Rub off skins. Process with icing sugar to a fully liquid paste.

Add chocolate

Melt chocolate to 45 °C. Pour into running processor. Blend smooth. Jar and set at room temperature.

Caramel onctueux

Caramel sauce with glucose — spreadable, room temperature stable — 30 min — ~500g — Intermediate

  • 90 g each glucose syrup, caster sugar
  • 30 g water
  • 230 g cream (35%)
  • 70 g butter
  • 10 g gelatin mass (2g powder + 13g water)
  • 50 g condensed milk

Method

  1. Bring cream to a boil, cover to keep warm. Cook sugar, glucose, and water to 185°C (light caramel). Pour hot cream over caramel, cook back to 103°C.
  2. Add gelatin mass and condensed milk, emulsify. Cool to 35°C, add softened butter, blend. Rest 12h at room temperature before using.

2. Tarts

Tarte aux Fraises

Pâte sucrée, crème d'amande, crème diplomate, fresh strawberries

  • 1 pâte sucrée shell — → Pâte Sucrée
  • 1 batch crème d'amande — → Crème d'Amande
  • 500 g fresh strawberries
  • crème diplomate or chantilly for topping

Method

  1. Blind bake shell. Pipe crème d'amande, bake 12–15min at 165°C. Cool.
  2. Pipe crème diplomate. Arrange strawberry segments. Glaze with strawberry gel or neutral nappage.

Tarte aux Figues

Detailed recipe →

Pâte sucrée, crème d'amande, fig confit, fresh figs — 2h (+ 4h rest) — 20cm — Intermediate

Fig confit

  • 400 g figs, 100g sugar, 8g pectin NH

Crème d'amande — → Crème d'Amande

  • 65 g each butter, sugar, almond, egg

Pâte sucrée — → Pâte Sucrée

  • 1 20cm shell, blind-baked

Method

  1. Blind bake pâte sucrée. Pipe crème d'amande. Spread cold fig confit over the cream. Bake 165°C 12–15min.
  2. Arrange mi-cooked fig halves on top. Glaze with vanilla nappage.

Tarte Tatin

Detailed recipe →

Upside-down caramelised apple — puff pastry — 1h — 6–8 portions — Intermediate

  • 10–11 apples
  • 150 g butter (demi-sel)
  • 150 g sugar
  • 1 puff pastry round

Method

  1. Make caramel in the pan. Confit apple quarters in butter + sugar until just tender. Arrange in the caramel.
  2. Cover with pastry, tuck edges. Bake 45min at 170°C. Unmould hot.

Tarte Bourdaloue

Detailed recipe →

Poached pear, crème d'amande — Grolet brioche feuilletée base — 2h — 20cm — Intermediate

  • 4 pears, poached in vanilla syrup
  • 1 batch crème d'amande — → Crème d'Amande
  • 1 brioche feuilletée base

Method

  1. Blind bake brioche feuilletée base. Pipe crème d'amande. Slice poached pears thinly and fan into the cream.
  2. Bake 170°C 10–15min. Brush with vanilla nappage.

Tarte Citron Meringuée

Detailed recipe →

Lemon crémeux, Italian meringue — Sweety and CAP versions — 2h — 18–22cm — Intermediate

Crémeux citron

  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g sugar
  • 120 g lemon juice
  • 80 g cold butter

Method

  1. Cook eggs, sugar, lemon juice to a gentle thickening — no boil. Blend with cold butter. Pour into shell, rest 2h.
  2. Pipe Italian meringue (118°C syrup), torch or broil to colour.

3. Choux

Éclairs

Detailed recipe →

Chocolate and coffee — pâte à choux, pastry cream, fondant glaze — 1 h 30 min — 10–12 éclairs — Intermediate

Choux

  • 250 g water
  • 100 g butter
  • 150 g flour T55
  • 200–250 g eggs, beaten
  • 5 g salt

Pastry cream — → Crème Pâtissière

  • 500 g base batch

Choux

  1. Boil water, butter, salt. Add all flour at once, stir dry on heat until dough pulls from pan.
  2. Beat off steam in mixer, add eggs gradually until ribbon falls slow and folds back on itself.
  3. Pipe éclairs. Bake 45 min at 180°C, or 60 min at 130°C then 30 min at 150°C.

Pastry cream

  1. Infuse milk with vanilla. Whisk yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch. Pour hot milk over, return to pan, whisk until thick. Cool in freezer 40 min.
  2. Chocolate: fold in 200 g dark chocolate 70% off heat. Coffee: whisk in 30 g butter + 36 ml espresso.

Fill & glaze

Pierce base with large nozzle, fill. Warm fondant to 35–40°C, add cocoa or espresso. Dip tops.

Paris-Brest

Detailed recipe →

Choux ring, praline mousseline, caramelised hazelnuts — 2h — 6 pieces — Advanced

Mousseline — → Crème Pâtissière

  • 250 g pastry cream
  • 150 g butter, softened
  • 150 g praline noisette

Craquelin

  • 100 g each brown sugar, butter, flour

Choux + assemble

  1. Pipe 80mm rings. Top with frozen craquelin discs. Bake 170°C 35–40min. No oven opening for 25min.
  2. Split rings. Pipe mousseline in large rosettes. Add caramelised hazelnuts. Place lid, dust icing sugar.

Saint-Honoré

Detailed recipe →

Caramel-dipped choux on feuilletée, vanilla cream and chantilly — 3 h + overnight — 6–8 portions — Advanced

Pâte feuilletée — → Feuilletée

  • Inversée preferred. 20 cm disc, 3 mm.

Pâte à choux — → Choux

  • Standard CAP recipe. Ring on base + 8–10 small choux.

Caramel

  • 250 g sugar + 100 g water

Chantilly vanille

  • 250 g cream + 25 g mascarpone + icing sugar + vanilla

Bake

Pipe choux ring on feuilletée disc. Pipe individual choux separately with craquelin discs. Bake 185 °C until fully golden.

Fill & dip

Fill individual choux with pastry cream. Dip in amber caramel. Set caramel-side up.

Assemble

Pipe pastry cream on base. Caramel-glue choux around the border ring. Pipe chantilly in waves with Saint-Honoré nozzle.

Tiramichoux

Detailed recipe →

Choux, coffee crémeux, mascarpone mousse, ladyfinger sponge — 3h — 8–10 pieces — Advanced

Coffee crémeux

  • 200 g milk, 20g instant coffee
  • 160 g yolks + 180g whole eggs
  • 160 g sugar, 160g butter

Mascarpone mousse

  • 500 g mascarpone
  • 100 g yolks, 75g whites, 75g sugar
  • 15 g amaretto

Method

  1. Bake choux fully dry (45min at 180°C). Make coffee crémeux and mascarpone mousse. Bake and soak ladyfinger sponge discs.
  2. Fill each choux: ladyfinger base → coffee crémeux → mascarpone mousse. Replace lid. Dust cocoa. Rest 1h in fridge.

4. Cakes & Entremets

Fraisier

Detailed recipe →

Joconde sponge, mousseline cream, fresh strawberries — 2 h (+ chilling) — 8 portions — Advanced

Joconde — → Joconde

  • 2 discs cut to ring size

Mousseline

  • 500 g pastry cream — → Crème Pâtissière
  • 250 g butter, softened

Assembly

  • 500 g fresh strawberries
  • soaking syrup

Joconde

  1. Whip egg whites stiff, reserve. Beat whole eggs + almond powder + icing sugar until pale. Fold in flour, melted butter, then whites. Bake thin at 200°C, 8–10 min.
  2. Cut two discs with the ring mould before assembling.

Mousseline

Beat softened butter until very pale. Add pastry cream in ~10 small additions, beating between each. Use immediately.

Assembly

  1. Line ring with rhodoid. First disc, soak with syrup. Halved strawberries cut-side against rhodoid, mousseline in centre, whole strawberries.
  2. Second layer of mousseline, second disc, soak, finish with mousseline or mirror glaze. Refrigerate until set. Unmould at last moment.

Forêt Noire

Detailed recipe →

Chocolate sponge, kirsch cherries, chantilly — 1 h 30 min — 8–10 portions — Intermediate

Génoise — → Génoise

  • 5 eggs
  • 125 g sugar
  • 80 g plain flour
  • 45 g cocoa powder

Chantilly

  • 600 ml heavy cream (35%)
  • 60 g icing sugar

Assembly

  • 1 tin cherries in syrup (475 g)
  • chocolate shavings

Génoise

  1. Whisk eggs and sugar over bain-marie until warm. Beat at high speed to ribbon stage. Fold in sifted flour + cocoa in 2–3 additions.
  2. Bake at 180°C for 20–25 min. Cool completely before slicing.

Assembly

  1. Slice génoise into 3 layers. Soak each with cherry syrup — generously.
  2. Layer 1: chantilly + cherries. Layer 2: repeat. Top with chantilly, cover sides, finish with chocolate shavings.

Trianon Royal

Detailed recipe →

Dacquoise, praliné croustillant, chocolate mousse — 3h + setting — 24cm, 6 people — Advanced

Dacquoise noisette

  • 150 g icing sugar, 135g hazelnut powder
  • 150 g egg whites, 50g caster sugar

Praliné croustillant

  • 500 g praliné, 125g dark chocolate
  • 250 g feuilletine

Mousse au chocolat

  • 200 g dark chocolate, 50g milk
  • 250 g whipped cream

Assembly

  1. Bake two dacquoise discs. Spread praliné croustillant on one. Pour chocolate-chantilly mousse over. Chill.
  2. Unmould with a warm frame, dust cocoa.

5. Gâteaux de Voyage

Madeleines

Detailed recipe →

Classic shell cakes with brown butter — 25 min (+ 1h rest) — 12–16 pieces — Easy

  • 2 eggs, 85 g sugar + 15 g honey
  • 100 g brown butter (noisette)
  • 120 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder
  • vanilla or lemon zest

Method

  1. Mix eggs, sugar & honey (don't whip), add cooled brown butter, then flour + baking powder. Rest 1h+ in the fridge.
  2. Pipe into a frozen butter-only tin. Bake 220°C 4 min, drop to 180°C 5–6 min. Cover with a damp towel after unmoulding.

Financiers

Detailed recipe →

Browned butter almond cakes — 25 min — 12 pieces — Easy

  • 150 g icing sugar
  • 50 g almond powder
  • 50 g plain flour
  • 4 egg whites
  • 150 g butter

Batter

  1. Mix dry ingredients. Stir in egg whites until combined.
  2. Brown butter to a deep hazelnut colour. Pour hot into batter, mix well. Rest 1 h in the fridge.

Bake

Fill buttered moulds ¾ full. Bake at 200°C for 10–12 min until edges are set and centre just done.

Cannelés

Detailed recipe →

Bordeaux's custardy rum cakes with lacquered shells — 30 min (+ 48h rest) — 12 pieces — Intermediate

  • 500 ml whole milk
  • 2 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
  • 250 g sugar
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 50 g butter
  • 50 ml dark rum
  • 1 vanilla pod

Batter

Heat milk with butter and vanilla. Whisk eggs and sugar, add flour, then pour in warm milk. Add rum. Rest 48 h in the fridge.

Molds & bake

  1. Season copper molds with beeswax. Fill cold batter to 5 mm from top.
  2. Bake at 250°C for 20 min, then 180°C for 40–50 min. Shell should be deeply lacquered.

Macarons

Detailed recipe →

Italian meringue shells — Mogador passion fruit ganache — 2h (+ 24h rest) — ~72 macarons — Advanced

Shells (tant-pour-tant)

  • 300 g each almond powder, icing sugar
  • 2 × 110 g egg whites
  • 300 g caster sugar, 75g water

Mogador ganache

  • 325 g milk chocolate (40%)
  • 225 g passion fruit purée

Method

  1. Cook sugar + water to 118°C. Whip whites to soft peaks, pour syrup in slowly. Beat to glossy meringue (50°C). Fold into tant-pour-tant — macaronage until batter flows like lava.
  2. Pipe 3.5cm rounds. Skin 30min. Bake 140°C 16min. Cool. Pipe ganache (rested 24h). Assemble. Rest 24h refrigerated before serving.

Crêpes Suzette

Detailed recipe →

Piège's crêpes, orange butter sauce, flambéed Grand Marnier — 45 min — 6 people — Intermediate

Crêpe batter

  • 240 g flour, 3 eggs, 600g milk
  • 60 g beurre noisette

Sauce Suzette

  • 120 g butter, 90g sugar
  • 150 ml orange juice + zest
  • 3–4 tbsp Grand Marnier

Method

  1. Make batter, rest 30min. Cook thin crêpes.
  2. Caramelise butter + sugar, add orange juice, simmer. Fold crêpes in sauce. Warm Grand Marnier, flambé.

6. Viennoiseries

Croissant

Detailed recipe →

Classic butter croissants, laminated the French way — 4 h (+ overnight) — 12 pieces — Advanced

For the dough

  • 500 g all-purpose flour
  • 140 ml cold water
  • 140 ml cold whole milk
  • 55 g sugar
  • 40 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 11 g instant yeast
  • 12 g fine salt

Butter layer

  • 280 g dry European butter

Egg wash

  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tbsp water

Day 1 — The dough

  1. Combine flour, water, milk, sugar, butter, yeast, and salt in a stand mixer. Mix on low 3 min, then medium 5 min until smooth.
  2. Shape into a 2 cm thick rectangle, wrap, refrigerate overnight (8–12 h).

Day 2 — Butter block

Beat cold butter between parchment into a 15 cm square, 1 cm thick. Keep cold and pliable.

Lamination

  1. Roll dough to 25 × 40 cm. Enclose butter block. Rotate 90°, roll to 20 × 60 cm, fold in thirds. Refrigerate 30 min. Repeat twice more.
  2. Rest in fridge at least 1 h after the final turn.

Shaping & baking

  1. Roll to 40 × 110 cm, 4 mm thick. Cut 12 triangles (10 cm base). Score, stretch, roll from base to tip.
  2. Proof at 24 °C, 2–3 h until doubled and jiggly. Preheat oven to 200 °C.
  3. Brush with egg wash. Bake 15–20 min until deep golden.

Brioche

Detailed recipe →

Enriched dough — Nanterre, tressed, à tête — 45 min (+ overnight) — 6–8 pieces — Intermediate

MDC base (500g flour)

  • 500 g flour T45
  • 300 g eggs (~6 eggs)
  • 250 g butter, room temperature
  • 50 g sugar, 10g salt, 20g fresh yeast

Method

  1. Mix to gluten, then add butter in 2–3 additions. Bulk 30min, fold, overnight in fridge.
  2. Shape. Proof 1h30–2h below 28°C with humidity. Egg wash, bake 180°C 16–25min.

Tropézienne

Detailed recipe →

Grolet brioche disc, orange pastry cream — 3h (+ overnight) — 18cm — Advanced

Brioche (Grolet)

  • 500 g flour T45, 325g eggs
  • 400 g butter, 27g fresh yeast
  • 70 g pearl sugar

Orange pastry cream

  • 450 g milk, 5 vanilla pods
  • 90 g yolks, 90g sugar
  • 30 g cocoa butter, 50g mascarpone
  • zest of 4 oranges

Method

  1. Make brioche dough overnight. Roll to 18cm disc, proof 2h, egg wash, pearl sugar, bake 180°C 20–25min. Cool completely.
  2. Make orange pastry cream (with cocoa butter + gelatin for set). Slice brioche in half. Pipe cream in large rosettes. Replace lid, dust icing sugar.

Special Variations

Croissant aux Amandes

Detailed recipe →

Crème d'amande, day-old croissants — two versions — 30 min — 6 pieces — Easy

Crème d'amande — → Crème d'Amande

  • 100 g each eggs, butter, sugar, almond powder
  • 10 g cornstarch (BPàP) or 50g rum + 15g flour (Cagnes)
  • 6 day-old croissants
  • sliced almonds, icing sugar

Method

  1. Make crème d'amande — dense, not airy. Pipe cold.
  2. Slice croissants in half. Pipe generously inside. Replace lid, pipe on top, press sliced almonds. Bake 160°C 18–20min. Dust icing sugar.

7. Bread

Sourdough

Detailed recipe →

Elaine Boddy master recipe, Tartine method — overnight + 1h bake — 1 loaf — Intermediate

  • 500 g bread flour
  • 350 g water, room temperature
  • 50 g active starter
  • 7 g salt

Method

  1. Mix, rest 1h. Stretch and fold 2–4 times over 2h. Ferment overnight 8–10h at 18–20°C.
  2. Shape, banneton, fridge 3–10h. Score. Bake in Dutch oven 230°C: 20min covered, 20–25min open.

8. Ice Cream & Sorbets

Vanilla Ice Cream

Detailed recipe →

Crème anglaise base — vanilla, coffee, matcha — 30 min (+ overnight) — ~500 ml — Intermediate

  • 200 g cream + 200 g milk
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 75 g sugar (split)
  • ½ vanilla pod

Custard

  1. Heat milk with vanilla. Whisk yolks and sugar until pale. Pour hot milk over, return to pan.
  2. Cook on low, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon (82°C). Do not boil.

Churn

Strain, cool, refrigerate overnight. Churn in ice cream maker until thick. Freeze 2 h before serving.

9. Seasonal & Special

Galette des Rois

Detailed recipe →

Feuilletage inversé, frangipane — advanced and quick versions — 2–3 days or 1h — 4–6 people — Advanced / Easy

Frangipane

  • 275 g each butter, icing sugar, almond powder
  • 165 g eggs, 40g rum

Quick version

  • 2 rounds shop-bought puff pastry
  • 150 g almond powder, 125g sugar, 60g butter, 2 eggs

Method

  1. Make frangipane (add pastry cream for full frangipane). Spread on first pastry circle, 2cm border. Add fève. Cover, seal with water, refrigerate 30min.
  2. Egg wash, score pattern. Bake 170°C 40min until deeply golden.

Flan Pâtissier

Detailed recipe →

Vanilla custard tart — Grolet, Thierry Marx versions — 1h + overnight cooling — 18–20cm — Intermediate

Grolet appareil

  • 500 g whole milk
  • 100 g whole eggs
  • 90 g sugar, 50g cornstarch
  • 50 g butter, 2 vanilla pods

Method

  1. Infuse milk. Whisk eggs, sugar, starch. Combine. Cook until thick. Whisk in butter. Pour into unbaked crust.
  2. Bake 220°C 10min, then 180°C 30–35min. Dark top is correct. Cool overnight before unmoulding.

Gâteau Basque

Detailed recipe →

Pâte sablée basque, crème d'amande, myrtille marmalade — 1h30 + 4h rest — 20cm — Intermediate

  • 250 g butter, 220g brown sugar
  • 310 g flour, 154g almond powder
  • 90 g eggs, 16g baking powder

Method

  1. Cream butter + brown sugar. Add eggs, dry ingredients. Rest 4h. Line tin with 5mm pastry.
  2. Fill with crème d'amande + blueberry marmalade (or cherry jam). Lid, seal, score. Bake 170°C 35–40min.

10. Everyday Bakes

Brownies

Detailed recipe →

Dense fudge — classic and 750g versions — 35 min — 9 pieces — Easy

  • 200 g dark chocolate (60–70%)
  • 150 g butter
  • 200 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 80 g flour

Method

  1. Melt chocolate + butter. Whisk eggs + sugar until pale and airy. Fold in chocolate, then flour.
  2. Bake 170°C 15–18min. Centre should still jiggle. Cool completely before cutting.

Tiramisu Citron

Detailed recipe →

Lemon curd, mascarpone cream, ladyfingers — 45 min (+ overnight) — 8 people — Easy

Lemon curd

  • 2 eggs, 100g sugar
  • 80 ml lemon juice, 70g butter

Mascarpone cream

  • 375 g mascarpone
  • 4 eggs separated, 90g sugar
  • 30–36 ladyfingers

Method

  1. Make lemon curd; cool completely. Beat yolks + half sugar, add mascarpone + lemon. Fold in whipped whites.
  2. Quick-dip ladyfingers in lemon syrup (2–3 sec). Layer: biscuit → cream → curd → biscuit → cream. Overnight in fridge.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Detailed recipe →

Classic and chocolate versions — no crust, very high heat — 1h (+ 18–24h cooling) — 20cm — Easy

Classic (20cm)

  • 600 g full-fat cream cheese
  • 225 g sugar, 4 eggs
  • 300 g double cream, 40g flour

Method

  1. Beat cream cheese + sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add cream, flour, vanilla. Pour into parchment-lined tin (5cm overhang).
  2. Bake 200°C 50min — deeply dark top, wobbly centre. Cool 2h, refrigerate 18–24h minimum.