‘The Pastry Chef’s Guide’ by Ravneet Gill, published by Pavilion
This cool, straight-talking pastry chef is out to demystify desserts. Ravneet’s practical, contemporary-feeling debut book is the culmination of seven years spent in professional kitchens, its insider knowledge and recipes having been collected and conceived by her along the way. As well as pastry (tarts, pies, puff and choux), all manner of traditional and contemporary treats are covered, from cookies to cakes, pavlovas to parfait.
Instructions are clear and to the point, offering pro advice to minimise the margin of error, and troubleshooting in case something does go awry. Simple how-to illustrations accompany some recipes, while fun, retro-look photos of finished dishes are splashed over glossy fold-outs. Trickier recipes like macarons (those untrustworthy little blighters) come with tips and tricks, while methods such as tempering chocolate give various options to suit your skills and your kitchen gear (or lack thereof).