“I think the world is looking for simple satisfactions, a return to comfort foods and hands-on cooking,” says Holly Herrick.
Her response to the culinary climate change? Tarts, and lots of them. On October 1, the author, chef, and journalist’s third cookbook, Tart Love—Sassy, Savory, and Sweet, hits shelves with 50 new recipes that will finally demystify the adorable—but at times finicky—delicacy.
But why tarts, and why now? “I wanted to move people away from being intimidated by tarts towards embracing them,” she says.
Herrick, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, admits that she, too, was once frustrated by her inability to make the persnickety dough. “It’s all about the temperature of the pastry—that’s the challenge,” she explains. Luckily, after a lifetime in the kitchen—and this past year spent visiting the Marion Square farmers market every weekend to collect fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses—she’s got it down to a science and is ready to share her knowledge. It shouldn’t be a hard sell. From pear with Roquefort to panna cotta with roasted figs, Tart Love has, as she says, “a tart to satisfy every soul.”
Herrick's Tart Love—Sassy, Savory, and Sweet ($25, Gibbs Smith) debuts October 1.
