My Favorite Cookbooks -- "The Art of the Tart"

Last time I counted (and I have bought more since then) I found that I own over 125 cookbooks. Whenever someone comes over to my house, that's one of the first things people comment about. The inevitable question is "Do you actually cook out of all of those?" Well, the answer to that is, "Of course not". I am a recovering cookbook-buying addict, and I'm the first to admit that many of those books were bought in the heat of the moment. Some of my favorite mistakes, which I have never cracked open include "Salsas That Cook" by Rick Bayless, "The Food of Malaysia" by heaven knows who, "Bobby Flay Cooks American", by, of course, Bobby Flay, and, much to my chagrin, "How to be a Domestic Goddess" by Nigella Lawson. I know, the irony of not even attempting to cook something out of that book is just out of control.

While there are many cookbooks on my baker's rack that go ignored, I have several that I break out on a regular basis. These are the cookbooks that I will be featuring in this new section of my blog entitled, surprisingly, "My Favorite Cookbooks". First on my list has some of the most beautiful food photographs I have ever seen. "The Art of the Tart" was written by none other than Tamasin Day-Lewis, who's very famous brother just won an Oscar for "There Will be Blood" which I actually haven't seen. But don't think that Tamasin is just a hack in the kitchen riding on the coattails of a famous brother. She is amazing!


This book has vibrant and lush photos, and a nice linen weave on the outside cover. She also does something I love which is to include a metallic pantone color (877C, I'm pretty sure) on the inside cover, which adds a very nice classy touch. Once you get past how pretty the book is, you can begin to delve into the recipes, which is where the goods are at.

My top three favorite tarts in this book have to be (not necessarily in this order): The Souffléed Cheese Tart with it's deliciously rich Gruyere and mustard pairing, the Tomato Prosciutto Tarts, covered with fresh basil and baked on a delicious puff pastry base (this tart is pictured on the front of the cookbook), and the Brûléed Black Currant Tart with its fresh berries and caramelized sugar crust on top. There are 90 different tart recipes for every season and every pallet. There are very easy tarts and more advanced tarts; there are tarts for everyone! So do yourself a favor--pick up this book next time you are browsing in Borders for a good cookbook (am I the only one who does that?) You can actually get this book online at Amazon, used for a little over $7.00, which is a steal! Do it!