The best of the batch

Just as the days are getting shorter and cooler and our desire to fire up the oven is kicking into gear, here comes a terrific crop of new baking books.

With entries from Sherry Yard, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Pascal Rigo, Alice Medrich, Wayne Harley Brachman, and Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid -- some of the top pastry chefs and bakers in the country -- this is the best season for baking books we’ve seen in years.

Our three favorites are fairly broad in scope, and all manage to make serious baking more accessible than it has seemed in the past.

In “The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts” (Houghton Mifflin, $35.95), Yard gives us the lowdown on how to make restaurant-glamorous desserts at home. The Spago pastry chef breaks them down into basic components that we can master (ganache, caramel, pate a choux, laminated doughs), then shows us how to assemble them into impressive creations.

Yard explains, for instance, that the financier, which she calls “the easiest cake in the world,” can be a rich, moist base for a number of sophisticated desserts. She gives a master recipe for the financier, then chocolate, gingerbread, pumpkin, carrot and cornmeal variations. These can be dressed up restaurant-style with fillings such as curd or ganache. Our test kitchen tested the master financier along with the pumpkin variation, which was light, moist, simple to make and delicious on its own, without being dressed up with a filling or sauce. The batter can be made ahead and held in the refrigerator for up to two weeks -- a plus when entertaining.

Indeed, many of the basic components -- from caramel souffle to rose water almond tea cookies -- are designed to be wonderful on their own.

But the last chapter consists of “master combinations” -- creations that are something like what you might see at, say, Spago: chocolate financier with raspberry ganache or a creme brulee apricot tart with lavender-vanilla sauce.

What a treat to be let in on the secrets of one of L.A.’s best pastry chefs. If the recipes themselves don’t persuade you to drop everything and preheat the oven, the stylish photographs by Ron Manville will.

Star-spangled on the cover, “American Desserts” (Clarkson Potter, $27.50) is Wayne Harley Brachman’s third book. Brachman, whom you may know from the Food Network, spent 10 years as pastry chef at Mesa Grill in New York. He offers dozens of American classics -- pies (classic apple, lemon chiffon) and cobblers; cakes and “plenty of frosting” (from devil’s food to carrot cake with cream cheese frosting); puddings and custards; doughnuts and super fudge brownies. Many are updated -- the devil’s food cake uses tomato juice as an acid to encourage rising; gingerbread folk are respectfully called “persons.”

There’s nothing really new here, but it’s such a complete collection of excellent versions of American classics that you’ll want to put it on a handy spot on your shelf. Recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, and one of the two we tested -- pear cobbler with hazelnut biscuits -- was the hands-down staff favorite of all those we tested for this review.

Pascal Rigo’s “The American Boulangerie” (Bay Books, $34.95) is the most focused of the three; it’s subtitled “French Pastries and Breads for the Home Kitchen.” Angelenos may remember Rigo’s bread from the early days of Broadway Deli. According to the book, owner Michel Richard hired Rigo as baker there when it opened; manning the wood-fired oven was Rigo’s first job in the U.S. after he finished his classical apprenticeship in France. His breads were so well-received that he started a wholesale business supplying many of L.A.’s top restaurants.

Rigo grew up just outside of Bordeaux, and his dreamy Boulangerie Bay Bread in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood (its facade is pictured on the cover of the book) is filled with treats from southwest France such as canneles, chocolatines (which is bordelais for pains au chocolat or chocolate croissants) and the tender almond macaroons you find in Saint-Emilion. Happily, he includes all these in the book. When we tested the macaroons from Saint-Emilion, they were every bit as fabulous as those in Rigo’s bakery.

Not surprisingly, bread leads off the book. Though there are only a few bread recipes -- beginning with pain au levain nature -- they are solid and serious. Les Viennoiseries comes next, with enticing petits palmiers, chaussons aux pommes and brioches, then an appealing chapter full of quiches, tartines and sandwiches. Other chapters cover house specialties such as madeleines and pain d’epices (spice cake); country-style pastries such as flan patissier aux cerises (baked cherry flan) and galette des rois, the cake that’s traditionally served on Twelfth Night, with a charm baked in -- whoever finds it in his or her slice becomes le roi, the king. Finally, gallettes and crepes and children’s pastries.

Altogether, it’s a terrific, definitive collection of the most classic French baked goods, charmingly written, and gorgeously photographed by Paul Moore.

*

Pumpkin financier

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: From “The Secrets of Baking” by Sherry Yard

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups almond flour or almond meal

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons tightly packed light brown sugar

8 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned solid-pack pumpkin)

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the solids separate and begin to brown to a dark golden color, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. Don’t chill. It needs to remain in liquid form. Set aside.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 10- by 2-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper, then coat the paper lightly with spray.

3. Sift together the almond flour, flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use a large bowl and a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and brown sugar. Mix the dry ingredients at low speed for 30 seconds.

4. Add the egg whites and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and orange zest and mix for 30 seconds.

5. Add the melted butter. Be sure to scrape in all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Mix for 30 seconds on medium speed, then turn the mixer to high speed and mix for 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Financier batter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (When using refrigerated batter, be sure to bring it to room temperature, then stir the mixture from the bottom up to reincorporate any butter that might have separated and sunk to the bottom. Beat the batter by hand or with a mixer to warm it up and mix it well.)

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the cake for even browning and bake for 10 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert it onto the rack, remove the cake pan and parchment, and cool completely. Wrapped airtight, the financier will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Each serving: 387 calories; 7 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 25 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 12 mg. cholesterol; 210 mg. sodium.

*

Macarons de Saint-Emilion

Total time: 40 minutes, plus overnight chilling

Servings: Makes about 40 small macaroons

Note: From “The American Boulangerie” by Pascal Rigo

8 ounces almond paste, broken into small pieces

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 egg whites, lightly beaten with a fork

2-3 teaspoons cold water

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste and granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture obtains the consistency of a fine meal, about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Or pulse in a food processor, then place in the mixing bowl.) Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until well combined, about 5 minutes.

2. With the mixer still on low speed, add the egg whites about a teaspoon at a time, making sure each addition of egg whites is incorporated before adding any more. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl midway through mixing. If there are any lumps, stop adding the egg whites and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth. Resume adding the egg whites very, very slowly until they are completely incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

3. Slowly add the cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have added 2 teaspoons, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Stop adding water once the mixture looks shiny. You may not need to use all 3 teaspoons. Transfer the finished batter to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a three-quarter-inch, No. 9, stainless-steel round tip and fill the bag with the macaroon batter. Pipe the batter into slightly rounded disks, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, onto the baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Dab the center of each disc with a damp paper towel to flatten any peak.

5. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until set on the sides. The edges should be light brown and the surfaces lightly crinkled with small, fine cracks. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently remove from the paper backing. You also can cut between the rows of cookies with scissors and store them with their paper backing. The macaroons can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Each macaroon: 41 calories; 1 gram protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 2 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 3 mg. sodium.

*

Pear cobbler with hazelnut biscuits

Total time: 40 minutes, plus at least 1 hour chilling time

Servings: 8

Note: From “American Desserts” by Wayne Harley Brachman

Hazelnut biscuits

1 3/4 cups cake flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup skinned, roasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pea-size bits

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup hazelnut liqueur

1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur

3 tablespoons finely chopped hazelnuts

1 1/2 tablespoons coarse-grain or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and coarsely chopped hazelnuts in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, a mixer with the flat beater attachment or your fingertips, work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in the cream and hazelnut liqueur to form a soft dough.

2. Knead for just 10 seconds, then lightly flour the dough and pat it out on a baking sheet in a 1-inch-thick layer. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for for 1 to 8 hours.

3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, placing a rack in the middle position. Uncover the dough, and use a round cutter to cut out 2 1/4-inch biscuits. Pat the scraps together and re-cut to make a total of 8 biscuits. Arrange them at 2-inch intervals on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Brush a light coating of egg wash on the biscuits. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the finely chopped hazelnuts and one-half teaspoon sugar on each biscuit.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until slightly tanned and springy. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack to cool.

Pear filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

2 pounds Bartlett or Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into eighths

1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in the brown sugar. Add the pears and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

2. Carefully add the Marsala, standing away from the pan, as the mixture may start to flame. After 2 minutes, any flames should subside. Add the cream and cook for 3 more minutes to thicken.

3. Top with the biscuits and serve immediately.

Each serving: 649 calories; 6 grams protein; 76 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 34 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 83 mg. cholesterol; 276 mg. sodium.