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Overview
For three generations, François Payard’s family has been pleasing palates with mouth-watering pastries and confectionaries. Now, the renowned chef shares his favorite recipes for one of the most beloved desserts in the world: cookies.
Filled with family recipes, elegant showstoppers, and French classics, this comprehensive tome presents a wealth of sweet delights guaranteed to enhance any celebration or occasion. From the simplest butter cookies to cake-like financiers, delicate tuiles, jammy linzer tortes, and picture-perfect macarons, these recipes are flawless enough for any classically trained chef and easy enough for any home cook. Whether you’re looking to make a one-of-a-kind homemade gift or whipping up a treat to enjoy on the spot with coffee or tea, Payard Cookies will turn your kitchen into a delectable French patisserie.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780544513860 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Publication date: | 04/01/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 272 |
| File size: | 45 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Buttery COOKIES
LANGUES DE CHAT PALETS AUX RAISINS GALETTES AUX NOISETTES DIAMANTS RASPBERRY DIAMANTS CORNMEAL COOKIES COCONUT STARS CHECKERBOARD COOKIES SABLÉS BRETONS SABLÉS NANTAIS SABLÉS AU THÉ
Considering France's love story with butter in general, it's no surprise that my country has a rich tradition of buttery cookies, loved for their flaky and tender texture just as much as for their flavor. The cookies in this chapter are generally perfect accompaniments to a cup of tea or coffee and are easy to package as gifts. Some, like the Langues de Chat or Palets aux Raisins, are delicate small cookies, while the Sablés Bretons bake in a mini muffin pan and are sturdier as a result. Checkerboards are beautiful cookies that highlight the flavors of both orange and chocolate, for one of the most assertive cookies presented here. Coconut Stars allow you to be creative: You can make small stars indeed, or large ones, or just go wild with your favorite cookie cutter. Most of the doughs can be frozen, well wrapped in plastic and stored in a plastic container (to prevent other odors from permeating them), for up to a month, allowing you to bake just a few cookies at a time if you so wish. They bake quickly, so it'll be easy to make a few for an unexpected visit or craving.
Langues de Chat
MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES
Langues de chat means "cat's tongues" in French; I like to think that it's because these cookies have a slightly rough texture but are soft and sweet. Flaky and buttery, this is a very classic French cookie that is great to serve with tea or coffee. It is a perfect platform for the flavor of vanilla since it contains few ingredients, but you can add the grated peel of one lemon to the dough if you'd like, for a citrusy variation.
4 tablespoons (50 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add the egg white and mix until smooth. Add the flour and salt and continue mixing until the mixture is again smooth, then beat in the vanilla until it is fully incorporated.
With a spatula, transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼inch round pastry tip. You can also just cut a ¼-inch opening into the tip of the pastry bag.
Pipe the dough onto the lined baking sheet in 2½-inch-long strips. Leave at least 1 inch between each cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn light brown but their centers remain a paler brown color.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet or a cooling rack, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Palets aux Raisins
MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES
Palets aux Raisins (palet refers to their round shape) are close relatives of Langues de Chat (see recipe). They share a crumbly texture and buttery taste, with the additional texture provided by plumped-up raisins. These cookies are meant to be tiny and delicate. The kick of their rum flavor makes them ideal to serve at the end of dinner. You can replace the rum with water if you prefer a nonalcoholic cookie.
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins
Place the raisins and the rum in a microwave-safe container, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 1 minute. Carefully remove from the microwave and allow the raisins to steep in the covered bowl for at least 1 hour, or until they are plumped up. Drain the raisins before using and discard the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until smooth. Add the flour and mix until the dough is just combined.
With a spatula, transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼inch round pastry tip. You can also just cut a ¼-inch opening into the tip of the pastry bag.
Pipe the dough onto the lined baking sheet in quarter-size rounds. Leave at least 1 inch between each cookie. Place a few raisins on top of each cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn light brown but their centers remain a paler brown color.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet or a cooling rack, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Galettes aux Noisettes
MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES
Hazelnut (noisette) flour is much more frequently used in France, and throughout western Europe, than in the United States, for all sorts of cakes and cookies, like these little rounds. It is simply ground blanched hazelnuts. If you grind them at home, it's fine if a bit of skin remains on the hazelnuts; it'll just give your cookies a more rustic look. Start with about 20 percent more whole hazelnuts than the amount of flour you need; here, about 1? cups whole hazelnuts will yield the correct amount ground. Make sure that your hazelnut flour is fresh; if it is rancid or even just old, it will be greasier and the cookies will spread too much.
8 ounces plus 1 tablespoon (240 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add the egg yolk and mix on medium speed until combined. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Divide the dough in half, rewrap one half, and reserve it in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.
Diamants
MAKES ABOUT 60 COOKIES
The name of this cookie comes from the sparkling appearance it gains by being rolled in granulated sugar — like a diamond. The sugar also adds a lovely crunch. If you prefer to use vanilla extract (only the pure kind!) instead of a bean, stir in 2 tablespoons (30 grams) when you add the egg yolks into the mixture. To collect the seeds of the vanilla bean, cut it in half and scrape each half with the back of a knife.
14 ounces (400 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla seeds until fully combined. Add 2 of the egg yolks and mix until combined, then add the flour and salt and mix only until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log 2 inches in diameter. Multiple smaller logs are easier to work with than one long one. Twist the ends of each piece of plastic wrap as you would to wrap a candy to help you achieve an evenly round log. Freeze the dough for about 2 hours, or until the logs are chilled all the way through. You can freeze the logs, well wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the remaining egg yolk into a bowl and break it up with a fork. Pour the granulated sugar into a dish that can accommodate the size of your logs. A small casserole dish or plastic container is ideal, or even a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
With a pastry brush, brush a log with the egg yolk, then roll it in the granulated sugar until it is completely coated. Return it to the freezer for about 5 minutes, then slice the hardened log into ? inch-thick slices, and place the slices on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn a light golden brown color.
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Raspberry Diamants
MAKES ABOUT 40 COOKIES
I like to play with Diamants (see recipe), which is such a traditional cookie, and invent my own variations, like this raspberry version. You can sandwich two of them with a little bit of peanut butter for a grown up PB&J, or with a little bit of jam. The pink color comes from food coloring. If you don't use it, your cookie will be paler than the photo depicts. At Payard, we use a special raspberry compound, but since it is not readily available to home cooks, I've adapted the recipe to work with raspberry jam (use the variety with seeds, since they contribute to the texture of the cookie). The cookie is slightly softer, since the jam contains sugar, but it's just as tasty. You can flavor it with any jam you'd like, but the seeds in the raspberry variety add crunch, and its acidity also remains after the cookies are baked.
14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar until fully combined. Add 1 of the egg yolks, the raspberry jam, and the food coloring and mix until combined, then add the flour and salt and mix only until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log 1½ inches in diameter. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap as you would to wrap a candy to help you achieve an evenly round log. Freeze the dough for about 2 hours, or until the log is chilled all the way through. You can freeze the log, well wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the remaining egg yolk into a bowl and break it up with a fork. Pour the granulated sugar into a dish that can accommodate the size of your log. A small casserole dish or plastic container is ideal, or even a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
With a pastry brush, brush the log with the egg yolk, then roll it in the granulated sugar until it is completely coated. Return it to the freezer for about 5 minutes, then slice the hardened log into ¼-inch-thick slices, and place the slices on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to darken in color.
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Cornmeal Cookies
MAKES ABOUT 50 COOKIES
These cookies contain cornmeal in addition to flour, which gives them a different flavor and texture than regular sablés — a bit of an American twist. For extra crunch, I like adding freeze-dried corn to the dough, which is simply corn kernels that have been frozen very rapidly at extremely cold temperatures to preserve their flavor and texture. You will find it at stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but you can also omit it from the recipe.
8 ounces (225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and cornmeal together on low speed until well combined. Add 4 of the egg yolks, one at a time, waiting until each is well incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour, salt, and freeze-dried corn, if using, and mix only until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
Divide the dough into thirds and place each piece on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll each piece of dough into a log 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Twist the ends of each piece of plastic wrap as you would to wrap a candy to help you achieve an evenly round log. Freeze for about 2 hours, or until the logs are chilled all the way through. You can freeze the logs for up to 1 month.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough into ¼-inch-thick slices. Pour the remaining egg yolk into a bowl and break it up with a fork.
With a pastry brush, brush each cookie with a bit of egg yolk and top with a tiny pinch of fleur de sel, if using. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn a light golden brown color.
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.
Coconut Stars
MAKES ABOUT 150 ONE-INCH COOKIES
This recipe makes a lot of little stars, but you can freeze both the dough and the finished cookies if you don't feel like making or eating them all at once. You can also cut the dough into your favorite shape and into larger sizes if you'd like — they might bake faster or slower depending on those factors, so just keep a close eye on them if you do that. They look like simple butter cookies, but biting into them reveals a delicate coconut flavor, further accentuated by the use of almond flour. It is bound to become one of the classic cookies you turn to any time you entertain or bring a treat, since they look so elegant presented on a tray or in a box or bag.
1 pound (487 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until combined. Add the almond flour, coconut, and salt and mix until combined. Gradually add the eggs and mix until combined, then add the flour and mix only until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until it is chilled all the way through. You can also freeze the dough, well wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it is slightly thinner than ¼ inch. Use a 1-inch star-shaped cookie cutter (or any shape you'd like) to cut the cookies, then transfer them to the lined baking sheets. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the bottom edges of the cookies turn a very light golden brown. Repeat with the remaining dough until finished. You can reroll the scraps of cookie dough to cut out more cookies.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheets, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Payard Cookies"
by .
Copyright © 2015 François Payard.
Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction,
Equipment,
Ingredients,
Buttery Cookies,
Dipped & Filled Cookies,
Nutty, Spiced & Fruity Cookies,
Financiers & Tea Cakes,
Tuiles & Florentines,
Macarons & Meringues,
Minis & Mignardises,
Italian Cookies,
Calendar of Cookies,
Acknowledgments,
Resources,
Index,
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