Amazing bakery, amazing cookbook

I first fell in with Tartine in its bakery form.  Conveniently enough, the bakery is located about half a block away from my brother's old apartment.  When he was living there, he would always bring treats from Tartine for family dinners...lemon creme tarts, chocolate pudding, lemon meringue cake, passion fruit lime bavarian, and their gorgeous breads.  Oh!  And how could I forget...their croissants.  Mmm, just writing it out makes my mouth water.  Needless to say, it's absolutely delicious.  One day, while I was standing in a 20+ person deep line waiting to make my way into the bakery, two gals got in line behind me.  They had never been to Tartine before and of course were wondering if waiting in such a long line was really worth it.  The guy behind them said, "Yes.  It's very much worth it."  And it is. 

When Tartine came out with their cookbook, it was on my Christmas wishlist immediately.  With tons of recipes from the bakery for their pastries and cakes, it's become pretty much the only dessert cookbook I use (although it does have a few savory recipes in it as well).  The photography is exquisite, the recipes are clear and easy to follow, and they include kitchen notes with helpful hints to achieve the best results. 

So far, I've successfully made the devil's food layer cake with chocolate ganache, a variation of their fruit tart with lemon creme (also their recipe), lemon bars on brown butter shortbread (divine), brownies (with a whopping pound of chocolate in them), quiche, and a triffle of summer fruit.  My versions haven't turned out as aesthetically pleasing as Tartine's but they sure have tasted good.

If you ever get a chance to peruse the cookbook or go to the bakery, I cannot recommend it highly enough.