LE FORME DELLA PASTICCERIA

“The Shapes of Pastry” is structured around a wide introductory “Section Zero” dedicated to the basics, followed by three macro sections divided into Mignon, Single Portions, and Cakes, immersing the reader in the delicious world of “slice-style” pastry.

The beauty (and deliciousness) of small things: mignon, single portions, and “all-in-one” slice cakes. “The Shapes of Pastry” is a 240-page volume featuring over seventy recipes, divided into four sections, curated and narrated by Davide Malizia. Four sections that flow through colors and shapes, aromas and flavors, drawing us into the world of “linear” desserts, starting with the section dedicated to Basics.

Here, Davide Malizia explains— with the clarity of someone who deeply understands ingredients and techniques— the foundations of pastry in a “petit” format: 11 different bases (and their variations), ranging from shortcrusts to biscuits, essential for providing structure, texture, and stability in slice cakes, along with syrups, dacquoise, crunches, and creams in all their forms. The section concludes with a more technical part dedicated to glazing, assembly, and cutting, where Malizia guides the reader through every preparation and the fundamentals needed to best organize laboratory workflow. From this first section, readers gain the essential knowledge required to create the desserts presented in the three following macro sections dedicated respectively to Mignon, Single Portions, and Cakes.

In the Mignon section, there are 20 different creations: from the practical Tranciomisù, a rich interpretation of the classic Tiramisù with coffee chantilly and mascarpone cream, to Curioso, a surprising hazelnut bavarois paired with lemon crémeux, and Eros, a pistachio bavarois mignon with raspberry gelée. These are small works of art, but above all practical, rational cubes—perfect for display cases.

The journey continues with the Single Portions section, featuring 20 visually striking and delicious variations, appealing in appearance and perfectly reproducible in everyday laboratory work. There is Operouge, a cocoa biscuit with raspberry gelée and pistachio buttercream; the sensual flavors of Bahia, combining pineapple and cardamom with coconut mousse; and Sophia Loren, a tribute to the great Italian actress, with lychee, raspberry, and rose gelée, vanilla mousse and biscuit, separated by a layer of almond crunch. The refined illustrations accompanying the recipes show the exact composition of each dessert, making assembly truly easy—even from a production delegation perspective.

Last (but not least), the volume concludes with the chapter dedicated to Cakes, featuring 20 creations that represent the highest expression of technique, decoration, and flavor. Showstopping cakes such as Clementina, Siciliana, Souvenir, and Vienna alternate with enticing slices like Pastiera 2020, with wheat filling and orange blossom chantilly, or Sogni d’Oro, with chamomile mousse and cherry gelée. As the author explains, slice cakes are the perfect solution for unconventional cake formats, often requested by the most demanding clients, and in this modular approach can be composed in almost infinite combinations.

A rich and inspiring volume, offering countless proposals in different formats, incredibly easy to put into practice and enriched by the experience of a great master of pastry.