Tart It Up
*Starred Review* No stone fruit—or vegetable, for that matter—is left untouched in the third collection of amazing tart and pie recipes by British master pâtissier Lanlard, who claims such celebrities as Madonna and Sir Elton John among his clientele. True, there’s a fear of pastry making among many home chefs and bakers, but Lanlard quickly dismisses such concerns not only by featuring a dozen recipes for pastry basics, but also by including a handful of quick savory and sweet dishes using store-bought dough. (Try a quick fish pie or cinnamon sticks to impress guests—and yourself.) The color photographs are glorious (although not every recipe has such accompanying illustrations) and highlight the occasional step-by-step instructions. Food combinations are not always usual and include sausage and apple, rhubarb and strawberry tarts, and treacle and calzone (using brioche dough). Although Americans might dispute Lanlard’s choice for achieving the best pumpkin-pie results (butternut squash), there are nearly 100 reasons herein for calling him the Pie and Tart Boy. --Barbara Jacobs