The sweet side of baking clearly dominates, with cakes, tarts, flans, cookies and pies aplenty. There are far more recipes that call for fruit, like Pear and Red Currant Filo or the simple but heavenly Blueberry Coffee Cake, than there are for anything with chocolate. Later chapters cover yeast and quick breads as well as savory snacks such as tartlets and crackers, and main dishes like Spinach Quiche and the elegant yet hearty Gruyère Gougère. While the lack of lengthy narration about the recipes' origin or the author's family is refreshing at first, the beginner-baker audience (which would benefit most from the book's "essential classics" approach) will wish for more detail in the instructions and descriptions of what to expect.