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Pastry in Europe or PIE 2010 is like a grand tour of Europe. But this is not a commercial tour that stops briefly at a few cities in a few countries and rushes you through to the next. Instead it is a tour that includes the major tourist attractions, but more importantly also takes you to the spots that you often need to be a local to know about. Pie is at its best finding those little known places and sharing them with the reader. Obviously Europe is a vast area to cover, full of many diverse languages and cultures. There is a blend of the very traditional and the very modern. This is exactly what this book delivers. PIE 2010 lets us travel to all these places and offers up a grand sampling of them.
With over 250 pages of glossy photos and hundreds of recipes, we are given a sample of the ultra modern and the very classic. We can start out in a chapter about a modern and almost molecular take on yogurt and turn the page and visit a much more pedestrian Dutch Sausage Roll from the Dutch province of Brabant. Both are interesting and both explored on their own merits. All brought to life with hundreds of photos that reflect each area. When we visit Vienna we get to learn a bit about the claims to the original Sacher Torte from the Hotel Sacher and Demel, a patisserie that has been around since 1888 Where Eduard Sacher trained before opening the legendary Sacher Hotel. In Florence we sample local pastries with and drink ristretto. In the afternoon we can share bombolinos with the local kids after school. In Belgium we get to explore an old city called Liers, We get introduced to a century old pastry called Liers Vlaaike. A small 
“little flan” with a crumb type of filling flavored with cinnamon, ground coriander and nutmeg. For me this is
where PIE 2010 really shines. Giving me a glimpse into a past and tradition I would never have found out about unless I got to visit that city. PIE gives us a real sense of the culinary fiber of each city.
And as we continue peruse the pages we get to meet 3 Michelin chefs and artisan bakers, confectioners, and chocolatiers all share exciting recipes. There are plated desserts, marshmallows, gummy candies, spices and herbs, and too many others to mention here.
But if it sounds a bit too busy, a little one size fits all, fear not. The segments are brief, informative and full of photos and recipes. And remember, you can do the tour at your own pace. There are no rushed travel plans. No dashing to an airport or scrambling to catch a bus. Enjoy a city, feel like you are part of it and then move on when you like. And just in case you finish the tour we are hopeful PIE will be back again in 2011.
Paul Bodrogi CEPC
Order your copy of Pastry in Europe 2010
Exclusive recipes
Liers Vlaaike For 400 Liers Vlaaikes:
1 litre water, 500 g butter, 1700 g flour. Filling: 2200 g breadcrumbs, 750 mls light syrup, 4 litres milk, 400 g flour, 200 g four-spice powder, starting dough from the previous batch.
- In the mixer combine butter, flour and water to make a dough.
- Let rest and roll out to 2.5 mm thickness.
- Press in little forms and let rest again for 15 minutes pressing it a bit more.
- Mix milk and syrup and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Leave the filling for at least 3 hours; then put in a piping bag to fill the bottoms.
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C / 375°F.
- Bake until brown, let cool and invert.
Soft Nougat
Ingredients: 550 g water, 1650 g light syrup, 1925 g sugar,
220 g egg whites, 220 g crystal sugar, 220 g icing sugar,
500 g whole almonds (skin removed), 550 g hazelnut (skin removed), 200 g pistachios, all nuts roasted.
- Bring water, light syrup and 1925 g sugar to a boil and cook to 98° Reamur.
- In a non greased bowl, beat egg whites at 94° Reamur and add the crystal sugar in stages.
- When syrup has reached the right temperature, slowly add it to the egg whites.
- Beat slightly, replace the metal beater with a plastic beater and add the icing sugar.
- Jacques: “The egg whites get so tough that it can destroy the beater. Besides that I don’t want the nougat to be too airy. That’s why we change the beaters.”
- Beat the mixture for another 8 minutes at the lowest level and add the toasted nuts at a temperature of 60°C / 140°F. The nuts cannot be too cold, as it will cool the egg whites too fast.
- Beat it once again but be careful that the nuts don’t break. Scoop the foam on a baking sheet lined with sugar, pressing with your hands that you have lightly covered with sugar.
- Press a bit more with a rolling pin, let dry overnight and cut in squares.
- This is a soft nougat. The well-known Montelimar is much harder.