Ratio: The simple codes behind the craft of everyday cooking by Michael Ruhlman

I must admit I have not read many cookbooks. I've read a bit on celebrity chef culture in Heat by Bill Buford, and whole-hog eating in The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson but usually I save my recipe foraging for the internet.
I picked up Ratio after reading an interview with author Michael Ruhlman. In the interview Ruhlman talks about simple ratios that work to make great food. For example a basic bread has a ratio of 5 parts flour to 3 parts water. A pie crust is 3-2-1 flour-fat-water. And that’s all you need, you can keep adding different flavors, different fats, different kinds of flour to make a plethora of dishes.
Inspired by Ruhlman we tried the tart crust and Crème Patisserie. We’ve tried making tarts in the past but they could never compare to the real thing found in Paris. After following the pie crust recipe and having a beautiful crust we filled it with the recipe for Crème Patisserie and topped with fresh blueberries, the closest thing to a french pastry we’ve had and in our kitchen!