Opening Bite-Sized French Pastries for the Beginner Baker is like opening the door to a world of marvelous, mouth-watering desserts. The first thing that caught my attention was the gorgeous color photos that accompany each recipe. As someone who loves to bake and has baked since childhood, French pastries are something I have never dabbled in. I was pleased to see the table of contents organized the pastries into Base Recipes, Tartlets & Choux, Petits Gâteaux, Sablés & Cookies, Madeleines & Financiers, and Individual Desserts. The recipes that I will be trying are the Quatre-Quart Loaves which look like little pound cakes, Double Chocolate Sablés which are cocoa shortbread cookies made with egg that have a dark chocolate glaze, and the Lemon Petits Pots de Creme which are little lemon custards.

The book includes “pro tips” for each recipe and the ingredients and recipe instructions are laid out neatly on each page. This book would be a wonderful addition to any baker’s shelf and anything made from this book will be an absolute hit at any party or gathering.