The Global Pastry Table Update

I want to take a moment to thank so many of you for your good wishes on the publication of my new cookbook, The Global Pastry Table.  I also want to take this opportunity to answer some questions I’ve gotten since the launch. 

Are these new recipes or a collection of pastries from your blog? 

The Global Pastry Table has 70 brand new recipes not previously published here, so there are lots and lots of delicious new pastries and desserts to explore.  There are recipes for simple everyday treats as well as pastries to grace your holiday, birthday or celebration table.

Are these recipes for advanced bakers?

One of my main goals was to make the pleasure of preparing simple and beautiful pastry accessible to as many people as possible, so the recipes are simple, straightforward and unfussy, just as you find here at my blog.  The Banana Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Chocolate Apricot Cake are probably the fanciest recipes in the book but the glazing process is a very simple one, especially if you watch a 2-minute video about how to glaze a cake posted on my Technique page on Pinterest.  Check it out, it's kind of mesmerizing!

Each tart recipe has a pastry dough that is made quickly in a food processor and then pressed into a tart pan rather than rolled so you can enjoy a Butterscotch Cream Tart or a Chocolate Nut Tart without fighting with your rolling pin.  

I think the book would also make a very nice gift for someone you know who loves to bake and would like to diversify their recipe file.  I should also note that recipes are presented with both volume and metric weights.

Are these desserts an American would know?

Yes, although I draw some inspiration from other traditions, I developed recipes in the general categories of cakes, custards, tarts, cookies and ice cream with an orientation that is distinctly American.  The Table of Contents reveals within each category pastries and desserts that are very familiar but presented in slightly new ways.  For example, there's Almond Orange Baklava Rolls that are not overly saturated with sugar or honey and maintain the crisp texture of phyllo; Florentines to which I’ve added seeds and a touch of cardamom; simple and homey Pear & Ginger Scones; a feather light Poppy Seed Cake.  In the realm of ice cream, you’re certain to recognize Pistachio Gelato and Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream.  So the recipes in the book are more of an extension of the same style I try to achieve each week here at Pastry Studio. 

What if I don't own an iPad or a Kindle or a tablet?

Amazon has a free app you can download to open and read Kindle books on your PC or Mac desktop or laptop, iPhone or your Android device.  Apple is also releasing their new operating system 10 X Mavericks sometime soon and you'll be able to open and read electronic ibooks on your desktop or laptop.  And now that we have cloud technology, books are automatically pushed to all your devices.

Are you going to keep posting on your blog?

Yes, as long as I have interested readers, I’ll continue in the same fashion, posting a new treat each Friday.  The new cookbook is a manifestation of my desire for a creative stretch, so it’s in addition to the work I do here each week that also showcases the work of other pastry chefs. 

Also, if any of you are bloggers and would like to have me do a guest post, please do get in touch.  I would love to hear from you.  My email is pastrystudio @ sbcglobal.net

Let me know if you have any other questions.  I’ll be back on Friday with a really delicious pastry that disappeared in minutes - poof.  Cheers!

Introducing The Global Pastry Table

At last!  It’s with great pleasure and excitement today that I announce the publication of my first ecookbook: The Global Pastry Table, pastries & desserts with international style for the modern kitchen, a new collection of 94 recipes that incorporate the influences, aromas and flavors of our interconnected world.  These are approachable recipes for home cooks who want to expand their pastry repertoire with unique and flavorful cakes, cookies, custards, tarts, ice cream and other pastries using familiar ingredients.  And it’s now available as an ebook on iTunes and Amazon.

The backstory for this project began about three years ago with my deep interest in the increasing globalization of our tables.  We can readily see that the modern kitchen reflects traditions and recipes from all over the world, especially now that we have greater access to quality ingredients to create and build upon regional global cuisine.  When I set out to write a cookbook, I wanted to convey some of the promise of these cross-cultural currents we experience in our everyday lives within the beautiful realm of pastry.  So I took what I believe are some of the most interesting and delicious ideas and influences and wove them into this new collection.  I call on both Old World traditions and New World approaches to convey what I think of as the global kitchen, a place where we can enjoy these creative resources.

There are new recipes for chocolate lovers as well as plenty of fruit, spice, nuts and desserts that incorporate olive oil.  They represent my reverance for international style, such as a tender Rum Cake with Spiced Butter Rum Glaze made with browned butter, melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Walnut Financiers, cool and creamy Almond Toffee Semifreddo, Chocolate Garam Masala Cookies for a complex bite of spice, crisp Poppy Seed Rugelach, Maple Custard that worships the northeast, a rich everyday Dark Cocoa Cake, Brown Sugar Crème Fraiche Ice Cream with Balsamic Syrup that brings out all the best flavor notes, a refreshing Zabaglione Ice Cream with Coffee Granita…….. and much, much more. 

This is a book for people who love to be in their kitchens, who love to have their hands in the flour, creating beautiful and delicious morsels without a lot of fuss.  Many things can be made in a food processor, tart doughs are pressed rather than rolled and bench notes are there to guide you.  The style of the book will feel very familiar because from start to finish, I produced it entirely on my own.  After three long years in development, I’m excited to share the fun and adventure in this cookbook.

In addition to my family and friends who prodded, tasted, loved and cheered me on every step of the way, I want to especially thank all of my readers for your constant inspiration and creativity, your many generous emails and gracious support.  This was a very long, pretty crazy, definitely joyful, super exhausting but very satisfying experience and one I will never forget.

Visit The Global Pastry Table website for more information, including a detailed Table of Contents, recommendations for essential pastry tools, an example of my workflow and some background on the cover.  And please share with your family and friends!

To see some of the photos from the book:

The Global Pastry Table gallery

purchase The Global Pastry Table
iBookstore for the iPad

Amazon for Kindle, Kindle Cloud and Android tablets

Note: The iPad version of the book was created with Apple iBooks Author sofware.  It contains more photos and utilizes Apple multi-touch technology.

The Kindle/Kindle Cloud version was created using Amazon’s file standards.  

They differ in the following way:

iPad: 144 pages (landscape) and 191 images 

Kindle 302 pages (portrait) and 128 images

It's available in 51 countries.

Don't own an iPad?  Good news is on the way.  Starting with the new OS X Mavericks update due out early this fall, Apple is bringing its reading app to the Mac so you'll be able to read any iBook on your desktop or laptop computer.  iBooks will be fully functional with all the interactive features produced with iBooks Author.  

You can also purchase the Kindle version to read on the desktop of your computer or laptop if you have Windows 8, 7, XP or Vista or on a Mac or any Android tablet. You just need to download the free app.

Cheers!!