Modern Éclairs

March 15, 2016

Long outshined by macarons, eclairs have yet to achieve same popularity in the United States that they enjoy abroad (consider Paris and Toronto, which both have eclair-only bakeries). Here pastry chef and cooking instructor McCoy attempts to renew interest in eclairs and other pastries made with pate a choux, a cooked pastry dough that puffs when baked. McCoy's recipes (e.g., cream puffs, s'mores eclairs, pumpkin pie profiteroles, Gruyere and thyme gougeres) are a whimsical blend of hot, cold, sweet, and savory, and they showcase many baking and decorating techniques. Throughout, the author relays professional tips, such as how to properly hold a pastry bag and how to judge the consistency of pastry creams and glazes. VERDICT McCoy's creative take on traditional French pastry is pure fun. For bakers who like to decorate, it's a welcome change from macarons, cupcakes, and cake pops.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
This cookbook shows that eclairs are surprisingly versatile. The pate a choux dough associated with all things cream puff now takes center stage as a carb-ready star in appetizers and mains as well as desserts. Brooklyn-based pastry chef McCoy teaches well what could become a sticky mess. With step-by-step photographs and simply written directions, she lets home bakers in on her secrets for superb pastry. Of course, those tips are sprinkled throughout the 100 recipes and concentrated primarily in a few-page upfront section: sift dough before using. Stir constantly. Don't cover with plastic. Her offerings are mainly divided by type, taste, and by season: classic (Chantilly swans, profiteroles); fruity (strawberry shortcakes, banana-pudding puffs); chocolate (tiramisu, red-velvet Nutella cream puffs); frozen (butterscotch bombs); holiday (Mardi Gras king cakes, Hanukkah sufganiyot); and savory (muffulettas). Except for lobster rolls that omit using the crustacean's body for meat (!), the recipes in this lovely book are just the kind of temptation that'll lure any somewhat experienced baker into the kitchenand leave family and friends looking for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)