Synopsis: Nicknamed the “Picasso of Pastry” by Vogue magazine, master pâtissier Pierre Hermé has revolutionized traditional pastry-making. Insatiably creative, in this new volume Hermé returns to his first passion–chocolate. Retracing his longstanding love affair with the versatile cacao bean, this work reveals daring creations that display the celebrated pastry chef’s signature innovative style, which has transformed the realm of pâtisserie. It includes thirty-five recipes, from original combinations such as chocolate, banana, and ginger cake or chocolate and lemon madeleines, to rich, iconic desserts like his Infiniment Chocolat Baba Cake, Infiniment Chocolat Macaron, or yuzu-flavored Éclair Azur. Following an intense, synergetic collaboration with photographer Sergio Coimbra, this unique book pays homage to the purity and simplicity of chocolate and its diverse forms and textures. Under Coimbra’s lens, every facet of chocolate is captured in its essence, tempting the reader to enjoy the myriad delights that constitute Pierre Hermé’s extraordinary chocolate repertoire.
Buy Pierre Hermé: Chocolate from Amazon.co.uk
Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict
This book is absolutely stunning, the imagery is sublime, and the recipes mouth-wateringly delicious. There is no better way to celebrate Chocolate Week than with this beautifully innovative book. Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate is a book to delight, and kept as a cherished possession and then handed down from generation to generation. Highly Recommended.
Here is one of the delicious recipes:
Éclair Azur
Azur Éclair
Makes about 20 éclairs
Preparation Time: About 1 h
Cooking Time: About 25 mins.
Chilling Time: 30 mins.
INGREDIENTS
Choux Pastry:
7 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (3 3/4 oz./110 g) butter
1/2 cup (4 1/3 oz./125 g) mineral water
1/2 cup (4 1/3 oz./125 g) whole milk
1 teaspoon (5 g) superfine sugar
1 teaspoon (5 g) Fleur de sel, preferably Guérande
1 1/2 cups (5 oz./140 g) flour
1 cup (8 3/4 oz./250 g) whole eggs
Manjari Chocolate and Yuzu Cream:
2 teaspoons (1/3 oz./8 g) powdered gelatin, or 4 gelatin sheets of 2 g
13 1/4 oz. (375 g) Manjari 64% dark chocolate (Valrhona)
1 cup (8 oz./225 g) yuzu juice
1 cup (8 oz./225 g) egg yolks
1 cup (8 oz./225 g) superfine sugar
2/3 cup (5 3/4 oz./165 g) whole milk
2 cups (16 1/3 oz./465 g) liquid cream
Chocolate Glaze:
1/3 cup (3 oz./90 g) mineral water
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./100 g) superfine sugar
2 3/4 oz. (80 g) cocoa paste, or 100% cocoa dark chocolate
17 2/3 oz. (500 g) fondant
Finishing:
80 small pieces candied yuzu rind
Photo credit is Sergio Coimbra, from Pierre Hermé: Chocolate (Flammarion, 2016)
Find out more about Pierre Hermé