Tartine
An utterly fresh, inspiring, and invaluable cookbook: Every once in a while, a cookbook comes along that instantly says "classic." This is one of them. Acclaimed pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt and master baker Chad Robertson share their secrets, fabulous recipes, and expertise to create a truly priceless collection of culinary delights.
“One peek into Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s sensational cookbook whisks you into their popular Tartine Bakery and reveals everything you need to know to create their superb recipes in your own home.” –Flo Braker, author of The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Sweet Miniatures
It's no wonder there are lines out the door of the acclaimed Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Tartine has been written up in every magazine worth its sugar and spice. Here, the bakers' art is transformed into easy-to-follow recipes for the home kitchen. The only thing hard about this cookbook is deciding which recipe to try first.
- Features easy-to-follow recipes meant to be made in your home kitchen. There's a little something here for breakfast, lunch, tea, supper, hors d'oeuvres and, of course, a whole lot for dessert.
- Includes practical advice in the form of handy Kitchen Notes, that convey the authors’ know-how.
- Gorgeous photographs are spread throughout to create a truly delicious and inspiring party cookbook.
Makes a delectable gift for any dessert lover or aspiring pastry chef.
Pastry chef Elisabeth Prueitt's work has appeared in numerous magazines, including Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on the television program Martha Stewart Living.
France Ruffenach is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work has appeared in magazines and cookbooks including Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and Bon Appétit magazines, and in Cupcakes, Everyday Celebrations, and Ros.
Reviews (201)
There are just a few things lacking that could make this book stand out...
Overall, I found the written instructions in the book to be good: clear and descriptive. I've made a few things in here and they've all turned out well; I'm not a professional baker but I'm not a complete novice either. Don't think I'd buy another Tartine book based on this one. There's just a few things that if the authors/publishers added would make this book so much better. The biggest issue is there are not nearly enough pictures. Especially in a book like this where the recipes can get a bit complex, every recipe should have at least one photo of the finished product. Ideally there should be photos of some in-progress/technique work too. A lot of the recipes don't have any pictures at all - not helpful. And with such a promising cover, it's a let down. Second issue (more minor) is with the layout: it would be helpful to clearly mark both at the introduction of the recipe how long it takes to make, and in the instructions. For example, the croissants take days to make: it might be helpful if for planning to know right off the bat how far in advance you need to schedule these. Follow that up in the instructions and note where each day begins. Full disclosure: I use Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice as a standard of comparison for baking books, and that's a high bar. Apart from that, the writing is good and I like the ideas for seasonal substitutions, alternative fillings, and the basic recipes in the back. This book is not for beginning bakers. I think the recipes are absolutely doable for an experienced home baker, but it would be a better if the authors just went a little farther in making this book more accessible.
Worth owning, beautiful, also a note about scales.
Beautiful book. I often buy Kindle cookbooks to save space, however, I'm glad I have a physical copy of this book. It's just so pretty and the recipes are surprisingly simple. Or I should say, there are many that are simple. The author also gives great hints about what to make. For example She mentions that people hardly make pudding cakes, they are unusual and delicious, but easy to make. My grandmother's recipe for lemon pudding cake is actually very similar to the recipe in this book. I found that strangely comforting, that this somewhat fancy book, would include a recipe that my Granny Rowsom made often, and I remember from childhood. So far I have made the frangipane, which is amazing, pie crust, shortbread, brioche and buttermilk scones. All of the recipes were correctly written and came out beautifully without much effort. As someone who enjoys baking, I love that grams are included ( and also cups) I always use the scaled amounts. Once you get used to it, a scale makes a great baking companion. You don't need to dig for your measuring cups and the amounts are exact. You also avoid adding to much flour to your recipes. Believe me, it will make a difference in your results that you will like.
Ingredient ratios are ALL WRONG, would not trust the recipes
The ingredient ratios of this book are shockingly off! Take for example, the recipe for croissants. The first sign of disaster was the wet to dry ratio for the starter/preferment, which called for way too much flour. Following the recipe exactly, you end up with an incredibly dry dough instead of a wet batter. I almost couldn't believe the recipe (and had to re-read it twice!), as any seasoned baker knows that there is no way a preferment can double without enough liquid to activate the yeast. Second sign of disaster was the butter to dough ratio, which, again, called for way too much butter. Most traditional croissant recipes call for about 50% butter, the Tartine recipe calls for a whopping 65% butter, which results in butter leaking/burning during the bake. I am a seasoned baker, and would not bother baking anything from this book as I have no confidence in the recipe ratios. I can't even imagine what a beginner baker would do with this book without knowing how to adjust ingredient ratios properly as needed. Highly disappointed in this book.
Mixed feelings about this book
When I first received this book, I loved it. The book is very beautiful and it has weight measurements, which is one of the reasons I purchased it. However, now that I've made enough recipes from the book, I feel like I can give a fair review of the actual quality of the recipes, and unfortunately, some of them did not turn out so great. I have been practicing baking with the precision of making macarons and baking from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery, so it's not an issue of technique; the bad results are really due to the ingredients and ratios. There were quite a few recipes that just turned out way too sweet - the brownies and the chocolate hazelnut tart (understandably they are both chocolate based but then the authors add a LOT of sugar to the base). And then there were the ones that didn't taste spectacular (like I was blown away with Bouchon Bakery) - these were the cookie recipes and the chiffon cake. Now onto some of the good recipes that initially made me like the book: the banana cream pie (but their caramel recipe is too fancy, it ended up becoming rock hard. I would stay with the simple 1:1 sugar and heavy cream), the almond tea cake, and the lemon bars. So there's a few nice recipes in here but definitely proceed with caution...
The Original Tartine Cookbook
Tartine recently released an updated version of this cookbook and I find it far inferior to this- the original. This original book has ingredients and methods that are reachable and attainable for most home bakers and they are recipes that I keep going back to time after time. For example, the soft glazed gingerbread cookies are a holiday staple as well as the brown butter shortbread lemon bars. This cookbook has become part of our family tradition and I consider it one of the cookbooks I can’t live without.
Perfect
I want to make everything in this cookbook. The authors are great at explaining a bit of the chemistry that goes on in baking, which I think is helpful but rarely included in baking recipes. Why things work is just as important as how they work. But this book is far from stuffy. It is a great read, informative, entertaining and most importantly inspiring. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go make some croissants.
Everything I've made so far from this book has been delicious and turned out as it should've to my great surprise: )
I'm a beginner baker and this book has a lot of "this must be too fancy/difficult for me"-looking recipes, but I was able to do it! The instructions are detailed and there are helpful photos. The baking times and quantities were all spot on and accurate, with practical detailed notes. Everything I've made so far from this book has been delicious and turned out as it should've to my great surprise :)
Excellent baking resource recipes.
I purchased this book some time ago. I made their croissant recipe a couple of weeks ago, following the directions to the letter. They were amazing. My family feels Tartine makes the best croissants outside of France, and the homemade ones were the same buttery goodness. Will be trying more recipes. Pastry dough is next.
Perfect results every time
As someone mentioned before me, the true test of a cookbook is the success of its recipes. I have been baking my way through the Tartine cookbook since September, with near perfect results for every recipe. This has now become my "go-to" book for family gatherings, holidays, and every day baking. I have never been a fan of certain desserts, namely Lemon Bars or Pecan Pie, but since they are listed in the book, I decided to give them a try. The Lemon Bars are now one of my favorites, and many of my coworkers have proclaimed them the best they have ever tasted. The base of the lemon bars is crispier than similar recipes, and stays that way even after being refrigerated for a day or two- no more soggy crust! The lemon flavor really pops with the addition of zest and extra lemon juice, so be sure and scale them back if you want a more subdued flavor (I have tried it with the full amount, and scaling it back a few tablespoons). The Pecan Maple pie is another recipe that I make quite often; I have made it at least 12 times in the past 2 months. I use orange zest instead of kumquats, because it is easier to obtain in my town. I have currently made the following recipes from the book on numerous occasions: Croissants, Pain au Chocolat, Morning Buns (recipe not in book), Devil's Food Cake, Pecan Maple Pie, Almond Lemon Tea Cake (another hit with friends), Pumpkin Tea Cake, Brownies, Chocolate Truffles, Flaky Tart Dough, Sweet Tart Dough, Pecan-Bourbon Pralines, Double Chocolate Cookies, Apple Crisp, and several more. It is worth noting that you "need" a stand mixer for many recipes, including the croissants. As the authors of the book frequently say, read the recipes carefully before attempting to make them. I admit that I was intimidated by the steps for the croissants, but I have made them several times now, and it has become easier with each successive try. The croissants turned out just like the photos the first time I made them, even though I enlisted the help of my 5 year-old to help roll out the dough! The recipes in this book are written well, and many are very simple, but the results are outstanding. This cookbook is a must for any baker.
I can make yummy and impressive desserts!
this is a great book with a wide selection of nice pies, desserts, cookies, pastries and confections and instructions on how to do them. Peanut brittle, chocolate soufle cake,bouche de noel, trifle, apple crisp, eclairs, truffles and nice recipes for dough, and creams. Yummy!
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