Jeffrey Cagnes' patisserie, music and photography

Benoit Gaboriaud | 10/31/23

In his new book, La Pâtisserie de Jeffrey Cagnes, the chef immerses sweet tooths in his singular culinary art, through his emblematic recipes and a few previously unpublished ones, immortalized by photographer Laurent Fau.

After Le livre de pâtisserieStohrer par Jeffrey Cagnes, published in 2020, the pastry chef unveils a second, more personal book, La Pâtisserie de Jeffrey Cagnes, dedicated in particular to his sweet universe. It sees the light of day two years after the opening of his first Jeffrey Cagnes Paris boutique, on rue des Moines. Patisserie is an ephemeral art, made to be consumed. Once tasted, it remains only a memory. I wanted to immortalize it, to make it permanent ", he explains.

For this, the chef turned to his friend, photographer Laurent Fau, " who has an unparalleled talent for bringing textures to life ". Whether obscure light or full-page images flirting with abstraction, his shots enhance Jeffrey Cagnes' works. This book combines cutting-edge recipes with revisited standards. " We also find traces of my Sicilian and Moroccan origins through my father: orange blossom, sesame seeds and honey ". In particular, he unveils the recipes for Pain perdu au tajine and his emblematic Tarte au citron huile d'olive basilic. "50% of the recipes are accessible to all, the rest are a little more complex, but given the level of amateurs today, I would say that all the recipes are within the reach of those interested" . Basic recipes, classics, offbeat recipes, creative recipes, there's something for everyone. Whether it's a sesame burger or an exotic hot dog, there's something for everyone in a hurry.

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Laurent Fau

Each one is accompanied by a song. " Music, like pastries, evokes memories, like Proust's madeleine. From hip-hop to soul, via deep house and French variety, I listen to a lot of it as I work, so I wanted to assimilate each recipe with a title ". At the end of the book, we find his entire playlist, as well as a few words from his family that allow us to learn more about this essential pastry chef.

La Pâtisserie by Jeffrey Cagnes, published by Solar, due out November 2, 2023. Pages: 246.
Price: 34,90 euros