The Pastry Chef's Guide

Pastry is an art but it is also food so remember to stay in touch with your ingredients, reflect the seasons in your food and, for the love of God, don’t use strawberries in December. – Ravneet Gill
This is a book aimed at chefs and home bakers alike who FEAR baking.

The message: pastry is easy.

Written by pastry chef extraordinaire, Observer Food Monthly 50 and Code Hospitality 30 Under 30, Ravneet Gill, this is a straight-talking no-nonsense manual – THE baking reference book for any cookery shelf. This is the written embodiment of Ravneet’s very special expertise as a patisserie chef filled with the natural flair and razor-sharp wit that gives her such enormous appeal.

Starting with a manifesto for pastry chefs, Ravneet then swiftly moves onto The Basics where she explains the principles of patisserie, which of ingredients you just need to know (gelatine, fresh and dried yeast, flours, sugar, chocolate, cream and butter), how to line your tins, understanding fat content, what equipment you really need, oven temperatures and variables to watch out for. This section alone will give the reader enough knowledge of baking to avoid the pitfalls so many of us take when baking. Chapters are then organised by type of patisserie: Sugar, Custards, Chocolate, Pastry, Biscuits, Cakes and Puddings.

So whether you want to make a lighter-than-air birthday cake, flaky breakfast pastries, smooth and rich ice creams, parfaits, macarons or meringues, Ravneet will offer just the right advice to make it all seem easy.

“'Seriously good, and useful and beautiful little book.'”

“I love Rav and I love her books, especially the first one. If you want to be a pastry chef and you want to know everything you need to know to get going that’s the book you need to buy.” – Nathan Outlaw

“Come for the cakes. Stay for the sass.” – The Sunday Times

“A euphoric state can be bought on from pudding. Ravneet’s desserts are sublime, lifting the spirit to great heights!” – Fergus Henderson

“This non-stop slashie is an author, television presenter, teacher, entrepreneur, career guru and Instagram sensation all at once” – ES Magazine

“Deserves its chance to keep many households in treats for the next few months.” – Rocket & Squash

“Delightful, delicious recipes” – Sunday Express

“She gets rid of all the faff and explains everything flawlessly” – The Sunday Times Ireland

“Seriously good, and useful and beautiful little book.” – Felicity Cloake

“Gill has taken a hellishly complex area of food and, blending a no-nonsense approach with solid experience, has written a guide with just the right amount of detail that will help you navigate choux pastry, ganache and creme anglaise with ease.” – The Guardian

“I picked up Gill’s guide with a pinch of salt and a heaping cupful of scepticism. But reader, I was wrong. She may make a baker out of me yet.” – The Independent, 'Best Cookbooks of 2020'

“More than just the perfect cookie… pastry chef takes her skills beyond a classic recipe.” – The New York Times

“Pastry sorceress” –House Beautiful

Ravneet studied at Le Cordon Bleu before taking over the pastry sections at St John, Llewelyn's, Margot Bakery and Wild by Tart. Now a freelance chef, she set up industry networking forum Countertalk in May 2018 and has since successfully hosted events that encourage chefs to expand their knowledge outside of their stations by learning direct from other chefs. With events on bread, then pasta, next up is ice cream, then pastry; and meanwhile she hosts industry insiders with guest chef meals and screenings of films and documentaries such as The Heat Doc. Countertalk also publishes its own 'Chefs Make Sandwiches' series online and posts job ads.

'Pastry is an art but it is also food so remember to stay in touch with your ingredients, reflect the seasons in your food and, for the love of God, don't use strawberries in December.' - Ravneet Gill. This is a book aimed at chefs and home bakers alike who FEAR baking.The message: pastry is easy. Written by pastry chef extraordinaire, Observer Food Monthly 50 and Code Hospitality 30 Under 30, Ravneet Gill, this is a straight-talking no-nonsense manual designed to become THE baking reference book on any cookery shelf. This is the written embodiment of Ravneet's very special expertise as a patisserie chef filled with the natural flair and razor-sharp wit that gives her such enormous appeal. Starting with a manifesto for pastry chefs, Ravneet then swiftly moves onto The Basics where she explains the principles of patisserie, which of ingredients you just need to know (gelatine, fresh and dried yeast, flours, sugar, chocolate, cream and butter), how to line your tins, understanding fat content, what equipment you really need, oven temperatures and variables to watch out for. This section alone will give the reader enough knowledge of baking to avoid the pitfalls so many of us take when baking. Chapters are then organised by type of patisserie: Sugar, Custards, Chocolate, Pastry, Biscuits, Cakes and Puddings. So whether you want to make a lighter-than-air birthday cake, flaky breakfast pastries, smooth and rich ice creams (or parfaits 'because parfaits are for when you're in the shit'), macarons or meringues, Ravneet will offer just the right advice to make it all seem easy.

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