A Sweet Quartetanon of Classical Music [Hardcover]

The author of Bread and Chocolate returns with another book that combines nonfiction and recipes. Rather than the autobiographical sketches in her previous book, however, here Gage folds in essays on four of baking's primary ingredients. The four central essays each follow a similar pattern: a trip to a producer, such as a hatchery or almond farm; a discussion of artificial substitutes such as aspartame or margarine; a dollop of history and science (e.g., an investigation of bitter versus sweet almonds), often followed by folklore on the subject. The recipes, from Palmiers to Green Almond Panna Cotta to Classic Shortbread, are clearly the product of a practiced hand (Gage owned a patisserie in San Francisco for 10 years). Logically, Gage has attempted to include recipes that present these ingredients in their most elemental form, but sometimes the choices for such a limited group seem odd. The sugar chapter includes recipes for Green Tea Granita and Popcorn Balls with Cashews, as well as for two pound cakes that, as Gage notes, could also have been filed under butter or eggs. A final chapter on all four ingredients, which includes one recipe an elaborate Croquembouche blends the four to their best and communal advantage.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Former owner of San Francisco's well-known Patisserie Fran aise, Gage (Bread and Chocolate) traces the four building blocks of baking-sugar, almonds, eggs, and butter-from origin to kitchen. Dividing her book into four corresponding sections, she examines the history of sweeteners, natural and artificial; takes a behind-the-scenes look at egg and chick production; explores the circular connection among bees, honey, almonds, and humans; and chronicles the evolution of buttermaking from filling animal skins with milk and swinging them from tree branches, to a butter company where cows with computer chips embedded in their ears receive individually formulated portions of feed. Each chapter ends with a handful of recipes showcasing the featured ingredient, such as Peppermint Lollipops, Marzipan Ruffle Cake, and Meringue Triangles with Almonds. While many of the 33 recipes could easily fit under another section, the final chapter combines all four elements into one delightful recipe for a Croquembouche, a pyramid of mini cream puffs. A well-researched and fascinating look at ingredients that most bakers take for granted, this title is recommended for medium to large culinary history and bakery collections.
Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A master baker celebrates the four elements that make dessert possible.

Fran Gage calls sugar, almonds, eggs, and butter "the DNA of desserts." Simple as they seem, they make possible a profusion of pastries and other sweets, from the elemental lollipop to the ethereal realms where marzipan, meringue, and puff pastry hold sway.

No one appreciates this fabulous foursome better than Fran Gage, who relied on them for her daily output during the ten years she owned and ran her acclaimed San Francisco bakery, Patisserie Francaise. Nor could anyone do a better job of ferreting out how each found its way into the kitchen and yielded up its alchemy, influenced by technological innovation, genetic manipulation, and government intervention -- not to mention human error and, of course, the weather. In A Sweet Quartet, she tells the story of each ingredient, from its origins to its transformation into culinary gold, drawing upon her travels, tastings, experiments, and remembrances. Each section ends on a sweet note, with a baker's half-dozen of recipes that show off the multiple talents of the ingredient. The book concludes with a look at the meaning of desserts, from ancient times to the present day, and -- the piece de resistance -- ideas for a dessert buffet.

Fran Gage is a member of the Baker's Dozen and a contributor to The Baker's Dozen Cookbook. She is the author of Bread and Chocolate and writes frequently for Saveur, Fine Cooking, William-Sonoma Taste, and other publications.