Mini by Xavi Donnay
Mini is the first major contemporary pastry book devoted to small formats, a long-awaited tribute to one of pastry's most important families. Formerly known as petits fours and traditionally served at the end of a meal, they are reinterpreted by Xavi Donnay with a contemporary touch, exploring their full potential in restaurants, pastry shops, catering, tea time, buffet sweets and more.
Head of pastry at Lasarte (three Michelin stars in Barcelona) and winner of World's Best Pastry Chef 2020 at the Best Chef Awards, Xavi Donnay presents an extraordinary collection of original creations across eight major families:
- Sablé – Crisp bases for creations combining a main element with elegant decoration. Perfect for trompe-l'œil, colourful glazes and visible fresh ingredients.
- Cakes and Macarons – Classics revisited with new presentations and a distinctive culinary sensitivity, including the famous lifelike cherry evoking Black Forest cake.
- Choux – A great pastry classic treated with respect and mastery, with surprising finishes.
- Bonbons – A tribute to pralines, with innovations in format and presentation.
- Gianduja – Nuts, chocolate and a third element combine in original creations with refined flavour and realistic design.
- Free – A chapter addressing growing demand for sweets free from allergens and particular ingredients, using pastry classics and innovative ingredients.
- Classics – Iconic international sweets reinterpreted in mini format, including cannelés, xuixos, torrijas and millefeuille.
- Unclassifiable – An eclectic chapter featuring chocolate, savoury creations and technical ingredients such as maltodextrin, inulin and bicarbonate of soda.
Xavi Donnay also adapts great classics – Saint-Honoré, xuixos, tiramisu, pain perdu and Mont Blanc – into refined bites just three centimetres in diameter. His playful spirit appears in perfect imitations of cherries, madeleines, avocados and apricots, recreating realistic shapes with the delicacy of miniature jewels.
The book thoroughly explores techniques, innovative ingredients and presentation, redefining choux, bonbons and macarons and showing that much remains to be invented. Recipes are organised into eight categories, with indexes and tables for easy reference.
With 65 unique creations, Mini gathers Xavi Donnay's best ideas and contributions from renowned guest pastry chefs, including Miquel Guarro, Martin Lippo, Saray Ruiz, Eric Ortuño and Jean Siviuede.
An essential work for exploring the fascinating world of miniature pastry. 🍰✨
