Literally translated to “little ovens,” French petits fours are small pastries that can be eaten in two to three bites. Petite Pâtisserie skips the commonplace, white fondant covered cake squares and, instead, introduces you to petit pastry in a new, exciting array of flavors, shapes, textures and colors. These 41 original recipes captivate the eyes before intriguing the taste buds. You eat with your eyes first, and that’s what makes these tiny treats perfect for afternoon tea, weddings, cocktail parties or any festive occasion. Et bien sûr, they taste as good as they look.

Cheryl Wakerhauser, owner of the award-winning Pix Pâtisserie and author of Modern French Pastry, provides detailed step-by-step instruction in her books. She is not only a pastry chef extraordinaire but a teacher as well, offering the how's and why's to each recipe. Petite Pâtisserie shares recipes and expertise for a wide range of skill sets, making this the perfect book for avid bakers, pastry chefs in the field and anyone who loves to entertain with their kitchen prowess.

In addition to composed, multi-dimensional petits fours, Cheryl also shares a striking sweet and savory menu for high tea, bon bons that make you rethink the classic truffle, dessert shooters in mini glassware and her take on cookies (think macarons so tiny you can pop them into your mouth like M&Ms). Also discover a caramel mousse with salted almonds wrapped in a thin layer of chocolate that will make you say, “Shazam!”, an adult dessert version of the Old Fashioned in ice cream shake formation and a coconut mousse dessert in the form of, what else, a mini coconut! Playful recipes backed by solid instruction and creative execution. The Parlor Tricks from Modern French Pastry are also back with new innovative techniques for décor and time saving procedures. If you do not have a microwave, buy one when you purchase this book!

Cheryl trained in southern France with the prestigious pâtissier MOF Philippe URRACA. Her dessert oasis, Pix Pâtisserie, has been serving tasty treats and an award-winning wine list in Portland, OR since 2001. She has been featured in Thuriès Gastronomie, Vogue, Le Journal du Pâtissier, World of Fine Wine, NYT Magazine, Food Network Magazine, Oprah Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Bon Appétit.

Modern French Pastry is not a cookbook about the classics. You will find no tart tatins, lemon tarts or opera cakes in this book. Instead,  Modern French Pastry gives you 41 original recipes never seen before, in an array of shapes, colors, flavors and sizes.

Pix Pâtisserie award-winning chef and owner, Cheryl Wakerhauser (a.k.a. Pix), is known for combining bold flavors and textures into stunning, edible packages sold at her Portland, Ore. dessert oasis. Now, she shares her techniques, flavor combinations and whimsical design (along with a few parlor tricks!) in her acutely instructional cookbook, Modern French Pastry. Amazing looking and tasting desserts so explicably explained it will be a tossup as to who is more impressed – you or your guests!

French pastry is a study in components. Cheryl breaks each recipe down into easy to follow subrecipes that can be done in advance for convenience and even interchanged with other recipes to create your own signature dessert. Instructions for classic French pastry recipes such as pâte á choux, tart doughs and meringues are combined with modern flavors and design. Blue Cheese Truffles anyone? A Moment of Zen takes the fruit tart to a new level with the addition of crème de cassis, blackberry coulis and raspberry mousse. And the éclairs? Cheryl fills them with Bourbon pastry cream and tops them with cherry jam. Think the dessert version of the Manhattan. For the adult ice cream social, there’s a Beer Float recipe complete with caramelized malted barley dipped in chocolate. Simplify your life with instructional “Parlor Tricks” – cook lemon curd, temper chocolate and prepare pastry cream all in the microwave in minutes! Cheryl is not only a pastry chef extraordinaire but a teacher as well, offering the how’s and why’s to each recipe.