November 4, 2019
Prueitt and Robertson update and expand their 2006 Tartine with this impressive new edition, which features 68 new recipes and updates to dozens more. Recipes cover nearly any baking need, from quick breakfast bites to refined desserts, and the chatty headnotes lend the book an informal, friendly vibe. Which is not to say the recipes aren’t on point: they are precise (rendered in both weight and volume measurements), and the instructions are just meticulous enough. The basic croissant recipe—well worth the price of admission on its own—spans four pages before spinning off a number of variations, including for one made with matcha dough and a chocolate croissant, and the show-stopping buche de noel with its numerous sub-recipes should tempt ambitious home bakers. Those with less kitchen experience will find plenty of options for doable but elegant cookies, tarts, and cakes, while the savory options—a ham and cheese bread pudding, a gussied-up corn dog cousin in the form of a croissant-wrapped hot dog, an olive cake—present excellent options for bakers looking to branch out. Much of this may be intimidating to kitchen novices, but for avid home bakers, this is a no-brainer.