Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home

by Jacques Torres

Master the building blocks of dessert making and you can create anything. That is the simple philosophy of Jacques Torres, host of the public television series Dessert Circus and executive pastry chef at the world-renowned Le Cirque 2000 restaurant. In Dessert Circus he stays true to his principles. Learn how to temper chocolate (simply bringing melted chocolate to the right temperature) and you can make Chocolate-Covered Almonds. Learn to make sorbet (no harder than buying an ice cream machine) and you can make a Palette of Sorbets, a chocolate palette artfully topped with five different fruit sorbets. Master the recipe for Classic Genoise cake and you have the starting point for everything from Banana Moon Cakes to a raspberry mousse-filled ladybug. Jacques explains it all in clear, plain language, like a teacher at your side. He doesn't just tell you what to do, he tells you why you are doing it that way. Dessert Circus isn't just a stunning collection of a hundred astonishing desserts, it is a primer in the basics of dessert chemistry. You will learn about ingredients and how they react when mixed, kneaded, chilled, or heated and be taught the red flags of warning--the signs that something is not going right--and what you might be able to do to save the situation. Dessert Circus satisfies your every craving. Chocoholic? Revel in homemade Peanut Butter Cups. Want something simple and homey? How about Decorative Shortbread Cookies or Old-fashioned Macaroons? If you think creaminess is the hallmark of a dessert to die for, open up to classic Creme Brulee and soon-to-be-classic Tiramisu. There are fruit desserts (try Roosted Whole Peaches with Fresh Almonds and Pistachios), pastries, (Napoleons, Baba au Rhum), and frozen finales. But that's not all. Jacques has included recipes for all his signature desserts. Appreciate the architecture of New York City without ever leaving your kitchen by making The Manhattan, chocolate cake layered with a bittersweet chocolate cream constructed in the shape of a skyscraper. Enjoy winter any time of year with The Snowman, a little man made not out of snow but snowy white meringue and filled with tart lemon curd. If you're really feeling your baking oats, there is the final chapter, For the Truly Adventurous. Make a Cookie Tree, a Croquembouche (a pyramid of small cream puffs), or a wedding cake for sixty. Each recipe is rated for its level of difficulty so you can start with desserts that match your level of experience and work your way up to those more challenging. Every recipe is accompanied by a color photograph of the finished dessert and step-by-step photographs where appropriate. If you love dessert, you'll love Dessert Circus .

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688156541
• ISBN13: 9780688156541
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic

There will always be one and only one Jacques Torres.I love this book actually made a few recipes from here.Its not everyday type of deserts but true masterpieces. Can you tell I am one of his biggest fans.I truly miss seeing him on food [...]

Almost as good as at Le Cirque!

Jacques is an excellent teacher who doesn't seem to try to omit an ingredient or a secret technique as some chefs do. He is eager to share his thoughts on how to make each recipe a success and even includes the decorative touches that make people ooh and ahh. I've tried, and with great success, the desserts involving Jacques' light puff pastry and the tender flaky tart shell recipes and they please both the eye as well as the palate. I entertain frequently, making twelve course Chinese meals and always ending with a French dessert, most of which now come from 'Dessert Circus' or is inspired by it. I especially enjoy watching my guests' delight over the desserts. Thank you, Jacques.

Pastry with Personality

From a rainbow of sorbets served on a chocolate artists "palette" complete with chocolate "paintbrushes", through to the strawberry and raspberry Fraisier Cake beautifully presented with layers of fresh strawberries, Jacques' highly original desserts win me over each time I open this book, and my guests each time I serve one of his creations.The directions are clearly written, and every dessert recipe is accompanied with a finished photograph, and quite a few feature step by step pictures aswell. Jacques dedicates the first chapter solely to equipment and ingredients, plus a glossary of all terms used throughout the book. The second chapter covers basic or ingredient recipes, such as the perfect puff pastry and homemade chocolate sauce. He also shows you how to prepare my personal favorite, chocolate sculptures. You can also adapt these sculptures, turning just one of the pieces into an amazing garnish. I highly recommend this and the second volume by Torres, "Dessert Circus at Home".

Anyone interested in working with Chocolate must have it!

Fantastic! His teachings of using chocolate are excellent. Looked at many cookbooks and haven't found any that go into such detail over the "little things" you need to know that he does. Some desserts are challenging, but you can make them with practice. He has a show on PBS on Saturdays also.

The best dessert and pastry cookbook I have seen

Dessert Circus by Jacques Torres is the finest dessert and pastry cookbook that I have ever seen. His instructions are clear and concise. The desserts are not only delicious and are elegant enough to serve at the finest formal occasions but are easily adapted for small informal dinners. Many of his techniques (especially for handling whipped cream, meringue, and chocolate) I have never seen in any other book. Chef Torres does something else that I have never seen before, he lists his web site address in his book, where you are invited to ask questions and/or provide feedback. From experience I can tell you he answers you personally. Here you will find one of the worlds top dessert and pastry chefs that is not unreachable at the top of a pedestal. This book combined with his P.B.S. cooking series is an unbeatable combination.