much more information in them than you’ll find in recipes that professionals and even the students at the French Pastry School work with You can consult them time and again for the details that we share with our students every day at the school, and this knowledge not only will help you with those recipes but also will make you a better cook in general I believe that it is possible to master a craft or a skill at home as long as you have two things: one will come from me, the other comes from you I will give you the proper information and tools to allow you to understand how to execute a given recipe, but your contribution—the patience and persistence to work at it—is just as important Many of you have learned to play an instrument, to knit a beautiful sweater, or to excel in a sport You did not learn to play that Bach chorale well enough to play for an audience just by looking at the music on the page and playing it once First you memorized the keys on the piano, then practiced scales, then played the piece and practiced it over and over and over again When you learned to knit, you first mastered the different stitches and how to manipulate them, then you made a scarf before you tackled making a sweater In pastry it’s the same: you must learn to make and pipe proper pâte à choux and pastry cream before you can make good éclairs Some—perhaps most— pastry skills, like piping those éclairs, won’t come easily the first time But if you’re willing to practice, your hands will eventually know what to do That is the beauty of being an artisan: the more you practice your craft, the better you get at it With ... for an audience just by looking at the music on the page and playing it once First you memorized the keys on the piano, then practiced scales, then played the piece and practiced it over and over... mastered the different stitches and how to manipulate them, then you made a scarf before you tackled making a sweater In pastry it’s the same: you must learn to make and pipe proper pâte à choux and pastry cream before... Some—perhaps most— pastry skills, like piping those éclairs, won’t come easily the first time But if you’re willing to practice, your hands will eventually know what to do That is the beauty of being an artisan: the more you