About this item
James Beard Award-winning writer Aleksandra Crapanzano shares the secrets of the cakes Parisians bake at home: the gteau in its many splendors from the simplest yogurt cakes to deceptively easy bûches de Noel, from nut tortes to boozy flourless chocolate cakes, from yuzu madeleines to rum-soaked babas. When we think of French desserts, we tend to imagine ornate creations and confections. Perhaps we envision a tarte Tatin, but rarely a homemade cake, whipped up on a weeknight with little fuss. But that is exactly what Parisians make and eat. Gteaux are simple, delicious cakes, both sweet and savory, served to family and friends. You might expect elaborate home baking to rival the extraordinary pâtisseries in town. Who hasn't wondered if the French are born knowing how to make the exquisitely fine layers of puff pastry for a mille-feuille, or how to poach a soft meringue for an île flottante? As food-columnist Aleksandra Crapanzano spent time with Parisian friends who were cooking at home, navigating children and careers and gathering friends around their table at night, often impromptu, always delicious, she realized that the real magic is a certain savoir-faire, that distinctly French know-how that blends style and functionality in every aspect of life.
About the Author
Aleksandra Crapanzano is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation M.F.K. Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best Food Writing, and she has written extensively for the New York Times Magazine, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Saveur, Departures, Travel & Leisure and the Wall Street Journal, where, for the last six years, she has written the dessert column "A Little Something Sweet." Aleksandra has spent much of her life in Europe. She now resides in Brooklyn with her husband, the novelist John Burnham Schwartz, and their son.
