Ah, 2004, the Summer of Tarts. Yeah, I know, it’s 2005. But, uh, smartie-pants, I didn’t have a blog in the summer of 2004, now did I? No.

Now, as I was saying, ahhh, 2004, the Summer of Tarts, the summer I got the book, Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau. Aside from being a great cookbook, it also tells the story (in the introduction and in the chapter prefaces) of opening a tart joint in New York’s Soho — the also-named Once Upon a Tart.

You have to love a cookbook with a plot.

The above photo is my variation of the Sautéed Spinach and Mushroom Tart with Ricotta Cheese. I say variation, as the original called for a lattice top. As this was my first ever foray into the wide, wide world of pie crust, I thought I’d perhaps concentrate on getting . . . → Read More: My Summer of Tarts