Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker, written by Sylvie Gruber, features an inspiring collection of 60 recipes for tarts, sablés, madeleines, and more developed for the home cook. A few highlights include Mini Peach Rose Tarts, Chocolate and Orange Marbled Cakes, Praliné-Filled Sablé Sandwiches, Strawberry Financiers, and Coffee Crèmes Caramel. I will also be sharing her recipe for Double Chocolate Sablés following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
Sylvie Gruber
Sylvie Gruber started her blog, A Baking Journey (originally The Foodie Journey), in 2018 as a way to share “well-detailed and easy-to-follow recipes with a French touch.” In 2019, she completely Classic French Pastry Training at École Ducasse in Paris.
Sylvie grew up in Belgium with her French mother and Belgian father. She is currently based in Melbourne, Australia with her family.
Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker
Sylvie begins Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker with a short introduction before going over a few base recipes to get started.
Chapters are divided based on the type of pastry: Base Recipes, Tartlets and Choux, Petits Gâteaux, Sablés and Cookies, Madeleines and Financiers, and Individual Desserts. The contents have a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.
Sylvie also provides the beautiful photography. Every single recipe is paired with at least one photo of the finished pastry. There are also a few step-by-step photos demonstrating specific techniques such as forming Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) and assembling Ginger Pear Galettes.
Measurements are listed in Metric only for accuracy. Titles are written in English and/or French. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, pro tips, and yield.
Double Chocolate Sablés
To pair with this review, I made Sylvie’s Double Chocolate Sablés! These buttery cookies are packed with cocoa powder and coated in a dark chocolate glaze for a deep chocolate flavor paired with a fantastic melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Since I am posting this review on Valentine’s Day, my daughter also opted to add some heart sprinkles to a few of the sablés for a festive touch. She is always looking for any opportunity to add sprinkles.
The Double Chocolate Sablés come together with just a bit of prep and time. After mixing together the dough, it is rolled out into an even sheet between two layers of parchment and refrigerated for an hour to chill.
Once ready, the dough is cut into 2 1/2 inch (6.5 centimeter) rounds and baked until slightly soft and dry to the touch.
After cooling to room temperature, each cookie is half-dipped into melted dark chocolate and allowed to set before serving.
A Few Double Chocolate Sablé Tips
Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before creaming with the powdered sugar.
For best results, sift the flour mixture to allow it to blend more evenly into the butter.
Sylvie recommends using a rolling pin with thickness rings to create an even layer of dough.
Due to the dark color, it may be difficult to see when the cookies are ready. Bake until slightly soft, but dry to the touch. It should take around 18 minutes in a 325˚F (160˚C) oven.
Allow the sablés to cool completely to room temperature before dipping in the melted dark chocolate.
More Bite-Sized Pastries
I also made Chouquettes, Quatre-Quart Loaves, Honey Madeleines, and Salted Caramel Petits Pots de Crème.
The recipe for Chouquettes is a fun and delicious entry to working with pâte à choux dough. After bringing together the dough, it is piped into small mounds and covered generously with pearl sugar before baking until puffed and golden.
Quatre-Quart is a French cake made with equal quantities of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. In Sylvie’s version, the dough is divided into eight small loaf pans for cute mini versions of this delicious cake. It is a perfect addition to teatime.
There are quite a few incredible Madeleine and Financier recipes packed into the book and I was immediately drawn to the Honey Madeleines. These light cakes are filled with a honey lemon flavor and smell amazing as they bake in the oven.
The Salted Caramel Petits Pots de Crème were my personal favorite. A cross between a petit pot de crème and a crème caramel, this dessert has a deep salted caramel flavor paired with a soft and creamy texture.
Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker is a great pick for those interested in making French desserts at home. The book has a wonderful assortment of tartlets, choux-based pastries, cookies, cakes, and custards for every occasion. Some come together in less than an hour, while others require a bit more prep or rest.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require further searching include almond meal, hazelnuts, pearl sugar, buckwheat flour, and coconut sugar.
Double Chocolate Sablés Recipe
Excerpt from Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker
Double Chocolate Sablés
Ingredients
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- 50 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 teaspoon fine table salt
- 100 grams unsalted butter soft
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dark Chocolate Glaze:
- 75 grams dark baking chocolate chopped finely
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then set aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, using an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the mixture turns into a smooth paste.
- Increase the speed to medium and mix, stopping to scrape the bowl with a spatula if needed, for 1 minute, or until soft and fluffy.
- Slowly mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Sift in the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture comes together into a thick, soft and slightly sticky dough.
- Transfer between two sheets of parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll out into a 1/2 inch (1.2 centimeter) thick disk.
- Place on a flat tray and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 325˚F (160˚C).
- Peel off the parchment paper and cut out cookies using a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 centimeter) wide cookie cutter.
- Place the sablés on a large perforated baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a perforated baking mat.
- Leftover dough can be rerolled and chilled for 1 hour to make more cookies.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until very slightly soft but dry to the touch, then remove from the oven and let the baking sheet cool completely on a wire rack.
- Line a flat tray with clean parchment paper.
- In a heatproof bowl set atop a saucepan of boiling water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl), or in a microwave-safe bowl microwaving in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate.
- Dip half of each sablé cookie in the melted chocolate. Gently shake the cookie then scrape its bottom against the top of the bowl to remove any excess.
- If the chocolate starts to harden before you finish glazing all the cookies, melt again over the saucepan or in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Place the dipped cookies on the parchment paper and leave at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until the chocolate glaze has set.
Steve
Hey Tara!
I gave these a try last night and they were great! I tried adding some peppermint extract for half of the vanilla, the cocoa still overpowers it but all still delicious!
Tara
Thanks for sharing! I will have to try them with peppermint extract sometime.