An indispensable addition to any serious home baker's library,The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Artscovers the many skills an aspiring pastry chef must master. Based on the internationally lauded curriculum developed by masterpatissierJacques Torres for New York's French Culinary Institute, the book presents chapters on every classic category of confection: tarts, cream puffs, puff pastry, creams and custards, breads and pastries, cakes, and petits fours. Each chapter begins with an overview of the required techniques, followed by dozens of recipesmany the original creations of distinguished FCI graduates. Each recipe even includes a checklist to help you evaluate your success as measured against professional standards of perfection! Distilling ten years of trial and error in teaching students,The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Artsis a comprehensive reference with hundreds of color photographs, a wealth of insider tips, and highly detailed information on tools and ingredientsquite simply the most valuable baking book you can own.