Bake from Scratch Spring 2016

I’M A FRANCOPHILE. When I travel to France, I stop at the first boulangerie I can find for a pain au raisin and a viennoise au chocolat. Each day after is filled with visits to pâtisseries and boulangeries that line the streets and anchor the corners of cities and towns throughout the country. I devour the renowned confections and baked goods that have inspired many of the recipes that fill the pages of our very first French Issue. After months of daydreaming about stories to include, we knew we wanted our pastry-loving friend and local expert Clotilde Dusoulier, of the blog Chocolate & Zucchini, to take us on a quest to find the perfect Paris croissant (page 49). And I would be remiss not to mention that this story was produced…

JULIA BAINBRIDGE Julia Bainbridge is a food writer who has worked at Yahoo!, Bon Appétit, and Condé Nast Traveler. Since then, her work has been published in Organic Life, Saveur, and Afar, to name a few, and she hopes she can add a few more to that list soon. Julia has a lot of feelings, one of them being loneliness, so she hosts a podcast called The Lonely Hour, in which she interviews guests about solitude and aloneness. It’s not a bummer, though, she promises. Very First French Pastry Bite: “A rock hard pain au chocolat from a Maryland grocery store, which set the bar very low. Oh, how my world has opened up since then.” Favorite French Apéritif: “Pastis, taken in thimble-sized sips.” CLOTILDE DUSOULIER Clotilde Dusoulier is the 30-something Parisienne behind the popular…

BOULANGERIE (boo-LAN-zhree) A bakery that specializes in the art of making bread BRIOCHE (bree-osh) A French bread or pastry whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb CHOUX (shoo) Light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, éclairs, and other delicate French treats CLAFOUTIS (klah-foo-TEE) A tart made of fruit, typically cherries, baked in a sweet batter FINANCIER (fee-NAHN-see-ay) A small French cake made with browned butter GANACHE (ga-NAHSH) A mixture of chocolate and cream used as a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling GÂTEAU (gat-OH) Cake, often containing layers of cream or fruit; gâteaux (plural) LANGUES DE CHAT (long-duh-shah) Literally “Cat Tongue,” refers to a flat, sweet, finger-shaped cookie MADELEINE (mad-len) Small sponge cakes typically baked in a shell-shaped mold MILLE FEUILLE (meel-foy) thin layers of puff pastry and fillings like whipped cream,…

EVEN HEATING, QUICK COOLING, AND UNDENIABLE STYLE MAKE COPPER PERFECT FOR ANY KITCHEN, but its warm, shiny glow makes us think of French farmhouses and busy Parisian kitchens. In a nod to our favorite cookware, here are our picks to help you whip, measure, and mix your way through this French-inspired issue of Bake from Scratch. 1. Mauviel M’passion Copper Beating Bowl This bowl is more than just a vessel for ingredients. Chefs love its unlined copper interior, which stabilizes egg whites while beating, allowing them to almost triple in volume. Try it with our delicate Macarons recipe (page 47). $105-$190; mauvielusa.com 2. Chris Theofel Innovations Copper Balloon Whisk, 12” When copper is used to beat egg whites, a chemical reaction occurs between the molecules, making it easier to achieve stiff peaks. This makes the…

THE FRENCH BAKER By Jean Michel Raynaud French-born master pâtissier Jean Michel Raynaud believes that creativity and science are of equal importance in baking. In his debut book, The French Baker (Murdoch Books), Raynaud’s goal is to give home bakers the fundamentals needed to make delicious goods from their own kitchens. His strength lies in keeping it simple, and Raynaud provides concise explanations of basic baking ingredients and tools throughout the book. CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE:Pain de Campagne, rustic rye bread of the French countryside PIERRE HERME MACARON: THE ULTIMATE RECIPES FROM THE MASTER PATISSIER By Pierre Hermé Get lost in Pierre Hermé Macaron: The Ultimate Recipes from the Master Pâtissier (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), a definitive guide to the macaron from the genius pâtissier who transformed this beloved pastry with his signature flavor combinations, like…

We looked to the dream team at Washington, DC’s Le Diplomate for two pairings that will have you instantly channeling the flavors of France. Pairing #1 MUSHROOM TART & FRENCH ROYALE FRENCH ROYALE Makes 1 serving 1 ounce Byrrh ¼ ounce Giffard Vanille de Madagascar Bugey Cerdon (or another sparkling rosé), to fill Garnish: lemon zest 1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add Byrrh and Giffard Vanille de Madagascar. Shake until very cold, about 1 minute; strain into a Champagne flute. Slowly top with Bugey Cerdon. Garnish with lemon zest, if desired. MUSHROOM TART Makes 1 (8-inch) tart Recipe adapted from Le Diplomate, Washington, DC With layers of earthy mushrooms atop puff pastry, this tart is the ultimate cocktail snack. 1 (14-ounce) package puff pastry* 1 large egg, lightly beaten 3 tablespoons butter 3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms 2 tablespoons minced shallot 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme, divided…