Gourmandise Raisonnée

Renowned pastry chef and founder of the Valrhona pastry school, Frédéric Bau has devoted years to working out ways in which traditional pastry can be made with less saturated fat and less use of refined sugar. Here, in this strikingly photographed book, he demonstrates how modern techniques and some traditional cleverness can produce wonderful desserts that are modestly lighter but just as satisfying from the standpoints of flavor, texture, and mouthfeel.

Whether he's substituting pulverized lentils for powdered almond or finding ways to make low-fat milk substitute for cream, and cream for butter, Bau remains dedicated to creating wonderful desserts. Working with the cooperation of Pierre Hermé, he has adapted some of that chef's most famous creations, and also offers many beautiful desserts of his own devising.

There are petits fours, tarts, cakes, plated desserts, and more, all of them beautifully photographed and ready to offer ideas and techniques to professional bakers.

In French. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.

The English-language edition of this book can be found here.