4 1/2 STARS --- AN ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL PUBLICATION WITH INSPIRATIONAL CREATIONS --- UNDERSTAND THIS IS A BOOK OF PASTRY RECEPIES AND ART, NOT A BOOK OF CHOCOLATES, OR INSIDER TECHNIQUE & SECRETSThis is the third book from Bachour and the focus should be understood before purchase in order to appreciate it, or realize it's not for you. Fist, it is not a book about making chocolates. For those not familiar with Antonio Bachour, he is one of the most renowned American pastry chefs. So certainly the focus of this book will be about making pastries. Also, there is intentionally not a lot of explanation of professional insider technique. This book is written with the expectation that readers have at least a very rudimentary understanding of making pastries. The forward explains it more, warning that measurements are given in grams and professional terms are used. However, with some basic knowledge and an ability to follow written instructions well, it is possible for a home gamer to make many of these recipes. Also, these are very artistic deserts and not necessarily the kind of thing people are throwing on the table for dessert at Sunday dinner. The instructions are given in simple bullet points - again, without any additional insight or techniques. It's up to the user to make it happen. Could it have been more insightful to those who want to learn professional techniques? Certainly. But there is no claim about that here and this is not designed for the absolute beginner in the kitchen. That said, new cooks still might find tremendous inspiration and insight in this book.SUMMARY OF CONTENTS:----- Forwards with a little philosophy----- Entrements----- Plated Desserts----- Verrines----- Petit Gateaux----- Tarts----- Bonbons (note: this section is very brief and does share some technique, but the recipes are only for ganache style fillings)FINAL THOUGHTS: I have provided a few examples of the pictures below, though it's hard without good equipment handy to do justice to the beauty of this book (glossy pages are hard to photograph). Though I provided more photos of the artistry, there are plenty of recipes and I have an example of the very simplistic explanations provided in the book. This is typical of the entire book and you can see plainly the focus on steps rather than special techniques. Make no mistake, this is also very much a culinary "ART" book. I think sometimes there is a feeling in the culinary book market that too many photos is a sign of a book not serious about the actual food. In this case I think the opposite is true. For me the extraordinary photos are a source of inspiration and I appreciated them greatly. Do I wish there were other aspects to this volume? Certainly. But I will not fault the book for defining its purpose and fulfilling that point. There is no false advertising, you just have to understand it. The contents in the form of recipes are actually written for students of patisserie, or enthusiasts as the editor claims. For those who have not yet entered that path, perhaps this will act as inspiration as you begin that journey.