thisNZlife talks to the renowned pastry chef about her latest book.

Pastry chef Petra Galler has crafted a delicious career around the art of sweet treats. She has worked in various restaurants throughout her career, currently calling Auckland home. Her new cookbook Butter, Butter is an ode to nostalgic baked goods we all know and love, as well as a celebration of her Jewish heritage. We asked Petra about her cooking background, and how it all culminates in Butter, Butter.

What are some of your earliest baking and kitchen memories?

I made my first cake when I was 7 years old. There was no special occasion, I simply decided that day that I wanted to bake; quite out of nowhere really!

My mother, not a keen cook, gave me the green light to go for it; what was the worst that could happen she thought!

The end result turned out to be rather successful (much to mum’s surprise!) and ever since I have just absolutely loved all things baking. The cake was the Fudge Ribbon Cake, that features in my book and it remains a firm favourite of mine.

Cooking at home has always felt really comfortable but starting work in a restaurant when I was 20 years old was a whole different ball game. For the first few weeks I was absolutely terrified! Nothing really prepares you for a busy kitchen environment; they can be absolute hot houses of stress and pressure but it didn’t take me too long before I found my rhythm. I really don’t know what else I would do if I wasn’t cooking; when you find the kitchen that fits, nothing is more stimulating.

You’ve spoken about not having any formal pastry training and so hoping to remove some of the fear around baking, which we love! Which recipes would you recommend people start with if they’re not confident bakers?

I often refer to myself as a bit of a cowboy in the kitchen, given my lack of training and removing the fear around baking is something I feel so strongly about.

The attitude that baking has to be such a scientific procedure needs to be put on the back burner. Of course, precise measurements are important, and different processes all play their part, but there is no need to be scared off. The more you experiment with baking and the more comfortable you become, that intuitive cooking ability kicks in.

For the home bakers just starting out, my first point of call would be the Torta Caprese. Everyone needs a flourless chocolate cake in their repertoire and this is the one! It’s rich, decadent and oh-so-easy. This is very much a minimum effort, maximum reward recipe!

The Plum Galette is also another great one. I refer to this as the ‘lazy girls tart’. Making pastry from scratch is often something that people are a bit wary of, but this recipe is absolutely foolproof, and the end result looks so gorgeous people will think you’ve slaved away for hours!

If you really want to wow your guests, even the beginner baker can do that with the Tiramisu Crepe Cake. It looks far trickier than it is. Once you master the art of making a crepe, you are away laughing. And remember you can always hide the dodgy-looking ones in the middle of the stack!

How has your Jewish heritage inspired this book and recipes?

The influence my Jewish heritage has had on my cooking and this book, predominantly comes from my paternal grandmother, Zofia Galler, or Zaza as we called her.

She was not a good cook; in fact, she strongly disliked being in the kitchen!

What she was was an extraordinarily social human being.

People were everything to her, people really mattered. She was the type of woman who made you feel like you were the only person in the room when she engaged with you. She was not only incredibly interesting, but also interested.

When it came to all things food, she was pretty stroppy. No one could set foot in the house without her insisting that they eat.

My father is exactly the same; he loves people and the way of showing that is by spoiling them with food. Dinners at our house have always been an event.

I am not an expert on Jewish food. But one of the biggest impacts of my Jewish culture is the love language of food. Nothing screams love louder than preparing a meal for someone.

I’ve always felt that cakes take this to the next level.

They are pure frivolous passion, where indulgence and luxury are the number one aim. No one makes a cake for one, you make a cake to share. Festive, celebratory and just such a treat.

Check out Petra’s recipe for Challah bread here. 

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Images from Butter, Butter by Petra Galler, photography by Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios), published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $49.99.