Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere

While a trip to France may not be in everyone’s near future, veteran cookbook author Greenspan takes home bakers on a tour of Paris through her exceptional collection of recipes (divided into chapters including “Simple Cakes,” “Fancy Cakes,” “Tarts and Galettes,” and “Baby Cakes and Petite Pastries”). French “cousins” to American recipes such as the “Fluted Carrot-Tangerine Cake,” and the author’s adaptations on French creations such as “Gâteau Basque Fantasie,” give readers something they won’t find in other baking tomes. While some multistep selections are more suited for the experienced baker, less involved yet equally impressive recipes include a simple plum tart and Nutella-banana panna cotta. Unusual finds like pithiviers, a French pastry named after a city in northern France, are also included. Hefty headnotes and serving notes provide information about recipe origins and traditions. This is an ideal holiday gift. (Oct.)