To whet your appetite for a book devoted to the tradition of French pastries, I’ve compiled this acrostic composed of some of my very favorite pastries. Bon Appétit!
A is for apple chaussons: Apple “slippers”, crispy pastry with a sweet apple filling.
B is for brioche: dense, eggy, buttery bread that loves a thick coating of jam.
A is for almond croissants: a buttery classic, lovely for breakfast with a strong cup of coffee.
K is for kouign amman: a cake from Brittany that resembles puff pastry with sugar atop that caramelizes while baking. Best served with Micheline’s wild rose jelly.
E is for éclairs: Literally means lighting bolt. A staple in any French bakery, traditionally glazed with chocolate.
R is for réligieuse: An impressive tower of éclairs served for an important event. Notable because the structure has to hold for several hours. The name réligieuse means ‘nun’ because the shape and the dark chocolate glaze give the tower the look of a woman in a flowing black robe.
Y is for yeast: the lifeblood of any bakery.
I is for ingredients: all of which must be sourced with care and used with pride.
N is for Napoléon: small, many layered cake made of puff pastry and English cream and traditionally served with a white-and-dark chocolate striped top layer of cream. Also known as a millefeuille.
P is for proifiterole: a delectable, cream filled choux pastry.
A is for apricot pastry: similar to a Danish, French apricot pastry is lovely for an impressive brunch offering.
R is for Rhum Baba: a small yeast cake saturated with rum syrup and filled with pastry cream.
I is for infusion: letting a strong ingredient like vanilla beans, lavender, or cloves soak in cream, butter, or any other liquid ingredient for a few hours (or longer) will elevate any recipe. The trademark of many advanced bakers.
S is for soufflé: savory or sweet, soufflés are an impressive addition to any meal. Classic options include cheese, chocolate, and Grand Marnier (often en flambé, which is even more spectacular!)
From the author of The School for German Brides, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post–World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.
1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau—headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents—awaits the outcome of the war from her parents’ grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Théodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.
1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.
Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.
Women's Fiction Historical [William Morrow Paperbacks, On Sale: August 1, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063247710 / eISBN: 9780063247734]
Aimie K. Runyan is a multipublished and bestselling author of historical fiction. She has been nominated for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year award and two Colorado Book Awards. She lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband and two (usually) adorable children.
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