The Allure of Making Pastry

It was inevitable that once the novelty of reading about celebrity chefs was exhausted, armchair cooks would be forced to look elsewhere for vicarious culinary thrills. The latest area of scrutiny is the kinder, gentler corner of the kitchen. “The Making of a Pastry Chef” (John Wiley & Sons, $29.95) by Coyote Cafe’s Andrew MacLauchlan, is a compilation of recipes, anecdotes and advice to would-be bakers based on interviews with famous pastry chefs across the country.

The jacket promises “an unprecedented inside look at the pastry chef’s fascinating world,” and the stories within manage to make getting up at 4 in the morning, cleaning out the walk-in and writing a production list (a to-do list, in pastry parlance) sound romantic. In addition to reflections on the job are inspirational close-ups of hands performing tasks like separating eggs and piping meringue, and a flavor combination chart to help you decide which ingredients go together (for example, red bananas have an affinity for Brazil nuts and dark rum; kaffir lime leaves go well with coconut). The best part of the book is finding out which acclaimed pastry chef was weaned on Pop Tarts and who used to eat Sara Lee pound cake straight out of the freezer.

Much of the commentary has a high-school textbook quality, but the recipes are the real thing, from Elizabeth Falkner’s s’more brownies to Wayne Brachman’s pistachio rosewater ice cream sandwich on espresso pizzelle.