bake - July/August 2021 - 44

pastries
French Pastry
Made Simple
In 2013, Molly Wilkinson followed her passion for pastry by
studying Pâtissière at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Upon graduating,
she spent time working in pâtissières across the United States
and France, chateaux, cooking schools and French farmhouses,
soaking up everything she could. Now, she teaches small, private
classes at her home in Versailles and she's taking the next step
in her pâtissière journey with her debut cookbook, French Pastry
Made Simple: Foolproof Recipes for Éclairs, Tarts, Macarons and
More (Page Street Publishing, Co: June 8, 2021; $22.99).
Through the book, Wilkinson helps unleash readers' inner pastry
chefs with approachable recipes for all their French favorites
by taking the most essential techniques and making them easy
for home bakers. The result: a collection of simple, key recipes
that open up the world of pastry. With friendly, detailed directions
and brilliant shortcuts, bakers can skip the pastry shop and
enjoy delicious homemade creations.
Master base recipes like 30-minute puff pastry, decadent
chocolate ganache and fail-safe citrus curds, and readers are on
their way to making dozens of iconic French treats.
" I've been baking since I was 3 years old, " Wilkinson shares.
" Well, I guess then it was more like eating cookie dough than
actually baking, but that is when my interest started! I was constantly
baking as I grew up, but I actually didn't go to culinary
school until after I'd been working a 9-to-5 marketing job for
44 < JUL-AUG 2021 | bakemag.com
about seven years. I decided in 2013 that it was time to follow
my passion, so I moved to France to attend Le Cordon Bleu for
one year to get my pastry certification. After that I worked at
several bakeries in both France and the US before I decided to
start teaching. "
While studying in France, she learned the classical way to
make French pastries, which have been around for generations.
" This for me created a foundational base for everything that
was to come. After I graduated it was all about finding the techniques
that worked best for me by working in different shops,
watching closely and just soaking it all in, " she shares. " For example,
for lemon curd, I found that it was much faster and easier
to cook it straight in a saucepan instead of using a bain marie
method. "
Her favorite pastry to make is a croquembouche or pièce
montée: a tower of cream puffs that are held together with caramel
to make a stunning centerpiece. It's the traditional French
wedding cake but you can have it at any celebration.
" I love to make it as its spectacular and really fun to put together, "
Wilkinson says. " It's a bit like playing Tetris, as you
quickly handle hot caramel and juggle cream puffs. "
She is inspired by different pastries she sees as she passes by
shop windows either where she lives in Versailles, or on our trips
around France. There are a lot of regional desserts that she has
JOANN PAI, FRENCH PASTRY MADE SIMPLE
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bake - July/August 2021

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