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Ginette Mathiot's "Je Sais Cuisiner" or "I Know How to Cook," is known as the bible of French home cooking. Throughout France, the 1,400-plus recipe collection is a kitchen must-have -- consider it the French housewife's counterpart to the "Joy of Cooking."

The blog, Frites & Fries, pays homage to Mathiot, the Julia Child of France, with this humble yet picturesque apple tart. Despite its artistic presentation, it is actually quite easy to make -- the hardest part lies in making the pastry shell. After that, the only things left to do are make the light, almond-flavored custard base and fan out the sliced apples.

With only a few ingredients, the natural sweetness of the apples shines through in this elegant tarte aux pommes.

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Photo: Amazon.com

'Tarts: Sweet and Savory'
Recipes by Maxine Clark
Photographs by Martin Brigdale
Ryland Peters & Small -- 2007
Buy it on Amazon

Delectable as the payoff may be, tart-making, by nature, is not an art suited to the impatient. Parading the tart from counter to refrigerator to oven and back again ad nauseam can test the commitment of even a seasoned cook -- and that's before the filling's even been tackled.

But there is something to be said for the immense satisfaction one garners from a completed tart. When properly executed (and, you should be forewarned, there is an alarming amount of room for error), the end product is elevated to an artistic form, promising taste, texture and photogenic glory.

We flipped through the recipes of ''Tarts: Sweet and Savory'' to find totally drool-worthy photos -- and were happy to find they held up taste-wise too.

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

Speaking of apples (I know, you're getting tired of me writing about apples. This is the last one for a while. I promise.) did you guys see the gorgeous apple tart that Deb at Smitten Kitchen just posted? I don't think I've ever, in all my life, made a dessert that looked quite so gorgeous.

The recipe is one that originally comes from Chez Panisse, according to Alice Waters it was created by Jacques Pépin so you know even before you bake it that it's going to be wonderful. And Deb's pictures certain prove that out. This would make a great Thanksgiving dessert if you don't want to bake a traditional pie.

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