'Baking: From My Home to Yours'
Recipes by Dorie Greenspan
Photographs by Alan Richardson
Houghton Mifflin - 2006
Buy it on Amazon

Dorie Greenspan is something of a goddess to home bakers: not only are her recipes unfailingly delicious, but the directions that accompany them are both reassuring and authoritative.

Greenspan possesses an ease and charm as generous and homespun as her desserts: she's not afraid to admit past mistakes (as she does in a humorous remembrance of a cake that got her fired from a restaurant), and you can imagine that she'd be tolerant of yours, too. Given her mastery of traditional French pastry and love of more down-home delights, the book offers something for everyone, whether you're craving a Parisian apple tartlet or poppy seed muffins.

Takeaway Tips: Greenspan organizes her chapters by baked good genus: chapter titles like "A Cache of Cookies" and "Breakfast Sweets" hint at the wonders contained within. All of the recipes include helpful serving and storage tips, and many have a "Playing Around" sidebar that provides ideas for recipe variations.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Quality of pictures: Scrumptious. The desserts are gorgeous without being intimidatingly perfect: a lemon tart has a big old piece cut out of it, and a hunk of cardamom crumb cake looks like it's the in the process of being eaten, in a good way. This is baking with crumbs, smears and all, shown to glorious effect.

We tested: Fluted polenta and ricotta cake.

Polenta, ricotta and figs make happy bedfellows, as this cake demonstrates to delectable effect. It was dense, moist and not too sweet, and was as well-suited for breakfast as it was for dessert or an afternoon snack. The honey gave it a pleasing, mildly floral edge; the ricotta lent it perceptible creaminess; and the cornmeal made for a nice, crunchy crust. While the recipe called for dried figs, fresh figs proved a tasty substitute. Best of all, the cake had amazing longevity, retaining its freshness after almost a week stored in the refrigerator.

Worth the investment: This is a great addition to any cookbook library. It's clear that Greenspan has a lot of respect and affection for the home baker, and her recipes and understanding, intimate tone will inspire you to try new desserts and rediscover old ones.