Simple French Baking: Over 80 Sweet Recipes for the Home Cook

“I want people to know that a cake with a fancy French name does not have to be difficult or pretentious to make,” writes Great British Bake Off finalist Lagrève in her well-meaning but floundering debut. French patisserie staples such as chocolate eclairs and vanilla crême brulée appear alongside Lagrève’s family recipes, including her grandmother’s beignets and her mother’s rice pudding. All are enticing, but inconsistent guidance will diminish confidence in less experienced home bakers. Written instructions occasionally baffle (“Dip a spatula into the dough and it should form a V shape,” she directs for the pistachio cream and raspberry-filled profiteroles), and a lack of step-by-step photos for notoriously tedious recipes like croissants and caramel millefeuille make assembly daunting. Patient bakers will find that other recipes, such as the chocolate and sea salt tart and easy brioche, are easier to follow, and all will enjoy Lagrève’s charming if innocuous anecdotes (“I remember making these with my sister at Mamie Gilberte’s just before Christmas,” she says of the chocolate truffles). While Lagrève’s passion for French baking shines through, home bakers will want to learn the ropes somewhere else. (Apr.)