Tarts are a very versatile type of baked good. They can not only be used with both sweet and savory fillings, but their pastry-to-filling ratio and the fact that they’re usually served open-faced means that they showcase those fillings in a way that other pastries don’t. Tart Love: Sassy, Savory, and Sweet is a cookbook for anyone who loves to bake and eat tarts. Like taking a master class on tart baking, the book covers everything you need to know about how to make perfect tart crusts and how to put them to good use in a variety of recipes.
A lot of space in the introduction of the book is spent on basic tart dough recipes and the techniques that you need to use to get the best possible results. She also recommends a very specific type of flour, White Lily, for her basic tart recipes. It’s a very soft flour that is a Southern US specialty, so if it isn’t available in your market, you can work with a blend of cake and all purpose flour for similar results. The author goes into a lot of detail when discussing techniques, so you’ll be able to apply those skills when working with different recipes for tart dough and other pastry doughs, too (even if you’re not using the author’s favorite brand). You will want to have some good quality tart pans with removable bottoms for most of these recipes, and having both large and individual sized pans will give you the most options when choosing recipes.
The recipes are divided up into sweet and savory tarts (and pies), then further divided into seasonal recipes that feature fruits and vegetables when they are at their peaks. There are more savory tarts in this book than sweet tarts, which is a nice change of pace from other pastry books. Overall, there is a great variety of recipes and everyone is sure to find something that suits their tastes. There are also plenty of beautiful photos of the dishes included in the book to inspire you to pick out a recipe, dust off your tart pan and start baking right away.
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