Dominique Ansel

“Everyone Can Bake” is a well-designed book, with color-coded sections, listing the recipe on the vertical color bar on far right of page, making it easy to flip and find your baking options. Other pluses are the beautiful images; the metric as well as US measurements; notes on storage; pairing recommendations; ideas on how to pair bases with different fillings and finishing; how to create showstopper combinations. Not to mention great recipes that actually work as written.

Recipes are categorized: Bases; Fillings; Finishings; Assembly & Techniques. Ansel encourages mixing and matching different bases, fillings, and finishings, suggesting ways to creatively combine for new, exciting flavors. If new bakers use this book, I think they will become far more than good bakers, they will become amazing bakers because Ansel fosters fearless kitchen play.

I own hundreds of cookbooks, too many to count actually. I initially thought I did not need to add this baking book to my overstuffed bookshelves because the title led me to believe it would be too simplistic and geared towards beginners. Let me say that this book will work for both new and experienced bakers. I am thrilled with “Everyone Can Bake”, so much so I will purchase his first book as well. And I am so impressed by the graphic design by Simon and Schuster. Certainly will be a contender for best baking book in 2020.… (meer)

O.K. everyone can bake. I really liked this book although nothing I baked turned out like the pictures in the book BUT everything tasted good and got eaten. This cookbook made it fairly easy. There were a lot of photos showing the progression of steps so I could try really hard to mimic the steps and hand movements of the author. Plus I love to see what I am striving for. My daughters and granddaughters and I have a baking blog where we post our "nailed it's" and sadly my contributions are the worst but I like to try. The recipes are not complicated. I have done the almond cake with the buttercream icing, vanilla pound cake, chocolate brownies, and banana bread. The pound cake was wonderful with fresh fruit. I really want to try a glazed cake and some of the fillings and syrups. They look so good. "Everyone" can do it and so far that everyone has included me. The ice cream recipe is also delicious and with summer coming on that is probably the one we will use most often. I will have to step up my walking game if I continue with this cookbook because nothing in here is "diet" and everything so far has been yummy! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to cook with this book in exchange for a review.… (meer)

I received this as a galley via NetGalley.

Count me as a Dominique Ansel fan. I have paid attention to his work ever since his Cronut rocked the baking world. Last year, on my dream trip to the UK, after checking into my hotel, the first thing I did was visit Ansel's London shop a few blocks away. And I visited again for breakfast the next morning.

So yes, I was excited to be approved to read his brand new cookbook. I do think the title is a bit off, though. I wouldn't recommend this book to brand-new bakers. However, it does offer a lot to experienced bakers who already possess some know-how plus a kitchen stocked with various ingredients and cooking implements.

The book is broken down into four sections:
Bases
Fillings
Finishings
Assembly & Techniques

What makes this book incredibly innovative is that there isn't, say, one chocolate layer cake in the whole book. No, Ansel provides a recipe for a sponge that can be used by itself or sliced into layers, and he recommends different fillings and finishes, and includes take-you-by-the-hand techniques. The book's voice is personable and easy to follow. Therefore, there are a myriad of ways to play with every single element throughout the book. There are loads of photographs as well (a MUST for a cookbook, far as I'm concerned).

The emphasis is on tarts and cakes. That's where you can truly mix'n match dozens of different takes. However, the book also has some loaf cakes like banana bread and vanilla pound cake, a cookie recipe, chocolate brownies, sable breton, and pate a choux. Fillings includes things like pastry cream, fruit curds and jams, chocolate ganache, mousse, and caramel. Finishings describe stand-bys like buttercream and mirror glazes, along with a clear nappage glaze for fruit, roasted fruits, meringues, struesel crumble, and even ice cream.

Honestly, as I read the book, all I could think is that this is like a guide to make a Great British Bake Off-style showstopper.

I have not gotten to try any recipes yet, but oh, I want to. As I write this, I am--like much of the world--under quarantine. Staples like eggs and flour now must be rationed, as they are difficult to find and perhaps prohibitively expensive when available. But there will come a time when I, and the rest of the world, can indulge again, and Everyone Can Bake is the how-to manual on going about that.… (meer)

Everyone Can Bake: Simple Recipes to Master and Mix by [Dominique Ansel]I chose this book because I love to bake, so I thought I would see what I can learn from Dominique Ansel.

This chef is world renown as a French pastry chef however, he knows how to break recipes down so that even a novice is able to create them. Included are his basic recipes that he then includes tricks to make them appear to be a different item.

The book is divided into 3 sections: basics, fillings and finishes. Just looking at this book. A basic recipe could be given a filling, like a lemon curd, and then a finish such as a ganache to make it spectacular.

The instructions are written to be easy to follow and the pictures show you what the item should look like. I think this book would be an excellent choice for all bakers, whether a beginner or advanced.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.… (meer)