In their debut self-titled cookbook, Tarts Anon, the team behind the Melbourne institution has revealed the secrets to baking a stunning tart every time.
Co-owner and head chef Gareth Whitton believes tarts are the perfect dessert. They are pastry forms that transcend all genres, from top-end dining to regional bakeries.
At a minimum, you get a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, which can accommodate an unlimited array of flavours and textures. Then there’s the beauty of taking something so entrenched in history and bringing it into the twenty-first century with modern techniques.
Tarts have always been special to Gareth. It started with making a plum and almond tart at his first kitchen job and continued later in his career. Whenever it was his turn to make staff dessert, that tiny extra effort to make a pastry base to fill with the kitchen scraps that usually found their way to the staff table was enough to make the rest of the team think they had been treated to something special.
Gareth’s love for tarts rekindled during COVID-19 when he and his partner Catherine turned their romantic afternoon baking sessions into a side hustle. Now Gareth shares his passion and secrets to making the perfect tart.
From the beloved plain old lemon tart to something a bit more out-of-the-box, a savoury crowd-pleaser to a truly celebration-worthy St Honoré tart. Tarts Anon contains all the knowledge, including step-by-step instructions and inspiration readers need to become a tart master.
The cookbook’s practicality is evident from the start. Its simple shortcrust pastry recipe and practical tips on how to fix any potential pastry pitfalls ensure that readers feel confident and prepared to embark on their tart-making journey.
Simple, elegant, and versatile, tarts are no piece of cake, but with Tarts Anon at the reader’s fingertips, a world of showstopping circular bakes awaits.
