Glossy, dripping with color, brazenly luscious and tempting, the French tart has no shame. Just one look at this scrumptious seductress primes the mouth for the pleasure of its contrasting textures--sensuously smooth at first bite, followed by the crust's delicate counterpoint of crunch. Sweet with fresh fruit or savory with cheese and harvest vegetables, nothing captures the essence of French pastry more eloquently. In FRENCH TARTS, Linda Dannenberg presents fifty of the most delectable and easy-to-prepare tart recipes from the top bakers and chefs of France. The delicious array includes savory tarts to serve as hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, or light main courses, followed by sweet tarts for dessert. Provencal chef Rene Berard offers a pungent Pissaladiere, the onion, black olive and anchovy tart so popular in Nice, while famed Paris chef Michel Rostang contributes his memorable Tarte aux Tomates et au Prosciutto, a quick and easy tomato, prosciutto and basil tart. Sister chefs Isabelle and Valerie Ganachaud creat crunchy, bite-size apricot tartlets, culinary master Alain Ducasse bakes his bittersweet chocolate-hazelnut tartlet--even Toulouse-Lautrec's rum-soaked cookie-tart recipe is included. Photographed on location, Guy Bouchet's full-color images, combined with the charming, sunny illustrations and rustic hand-lettering of renowned illustrator Vavro, make FRENCH TARTS the literary equivalent of an authentic French culinary experience, second only to a trip abroad.