Tartine [Hardcover]

I have often been disappointed by baking books, this is one of the highlights of my collection. Incredible little cookies, very good pastry instructions. It uses both volume and weight measurements, plus a really good mix of recipes. Trust me and get this book, I wouldn't hesitate buying this one again if anything ever happened to my original copy.

I love this book - it quickly became one of my favourites, which is no easy feat! I find I frequently buy books that look beautiful but lack substance or practicality. This makes for lots of cookbooks that just gather dust. However I've definitely used this one quite a few times. The recipes are delicious (the lemon tart is amazing - I've made it so many times and frequently get requests for it), and the instructions are detailed and informative. This is not another mainstream cook-in-30-min cookbook that just provides the ingredients and lists 5-6 steps to follow. The author takes the time to explain why certain steps must be taken, and suggests substitutions where appropriate. Despite the complaint from another reviewer, I didn't find it lacking in photographs - most of the desserts had beautiful pictures.

I've been inspired by the detailed instructions in the book on how to create croissants (it's over 3 pages long!) - rather than finding them daunting, I'm actually encouraged because I know I'm not going to get confused or frustrated after hours of labour. I also found the tone of the author very comfortable to read - I liked reading about her experiences with the various items at the bakery.

I haven't made as many items as I'd like, but I find myself regularly turning to the book to get inspired - I just need to make the time to do more baking!

** Mar 18, 2013 update **
Still a favourite several years later having made numerous batches of choc-oatmeal walnut cookies, hazelnut chocolate tart, maple pecan tarts (highly recommend as not overly sweet) and serves as my go-to source for sugar and flaky tart dough. Finally ventured to make croissants for the first time this past weekend and they turned out so wonderfully I almost cried!! Amazed at the depth of flavour and texture that developed with simple ingredients (Fleischer's yeast, Robin Hood all-purpose flour and Gay Lea North American butter....can only imagine if European butter had been used). Definitely worth having patience as entire process spanned 3 days. However take heart that actual labour time was minimal (suggest making preferment Friday evening to have croissants ready for Sunday morning)...my only caution is in the proofing step where the authors say to use "steaming water" - novice that I am, I learned the hard way that this does not mean boiling water (oven gets too hot and butter melts out - an approx 50:50 mix of boiling and tap water yielded much better results in subsequent attempt).

I greatly appreciate the authors' authenticity in providing high quality recipes that yield great results (somewhat of a rarity in most bakery/restuarant cookbook offerings).

As I sit her munching away on the chocolate-walnut-oatmeal cookies, I can't wait to try the other recipes in the book if these cookies are any indication of the rest of the recipes in this book.

The thing I like about this book is that the ingredients are provided in grams - such a treat to find a cookbook that thinks like me because a cup sometimes is not a cup, but measurable exacting metrics don't lie.

Also, I liked how this book sat flat on the counter. No more pages flipping when I am trying to bake. Will keep you posted =)

No biggie, but I cannot give this book 5/5 because one thing that is missing is the lack of pictures for each product. It is hard to know what your end product is supposed to look like if you are no where near Tartine Bakery. Also, this appears to be missing from their website as well.

This book so far is wonderful.