Thin-Crusted Apple Tart with Chipotle Chili Powder. Yep, I’m smiling. But then again I geek out about this stuff, you know I do. I love unexpected ingredients.

It started with sea salt and caramel (back in the day). Salt on candy? Ewwwwe. No. Thank. You.

Then of course you tasted it. Suddenly all you thought you knew about life, mankind and our place in the continuum of the universe got kicked in the… um… well… below the belt.

From there it was like a house of cards– played too high and built too close to the slamming door. Crash and tumble. Screams and giggles. Pretty soon you were putting vinegar on strawberries, and squeezing limejuice onto corn. What would be next chocolate and chilies?

So when I saw this tart recipe in the LA Times I did not even blink an eye. Of course smoky, spicy chipotle powder BELONGS on an apple tart, right? Apples have always played nicely with cinnamon and spice. It just turns out its latest playmate is not that nice. Nope, devious chipotle doesn’t mind creeping up on you and biting you where you least expect.

Which is what I love about this recipe. The chipotle kick is subtle and sophisticated and downright addicting. But it’s a kick you won’t soon forget.

Well, Diane Morgan has done it again. There are some cookbook authors that you just know can hit the ball good and solid every time. Diane Morgan is just such an author. She seems to have found a formula that just keeps working.

That’s because she is a sensible cook and a straightforward writer. Diane’s approach to food is practical. She seems to know just what her audience expects, and she delivers exactly that. Yet somehow, without ever straying too far from the tried and true she manages to bring something fresh and modern to her work as well.

When I first picked up her latest title from Chronicle Books, The New Thanksgiving Table, I was a little confused. After all, I considered her previous book The Thanksgiving Table to be the definitive guide to this particular holiday.

But I have to admit, I was taken with just how easy this new book is to read. Which to me translates into a cookbook that is easy to use as well. It is laid out with plenty of space between the text and recipes. The useful information is highlighted with simply shaded boxes. The ingredients are in bold type, which makes list making a breeze. So despite my pre-conceived notions of redundancy, I found myself already liking this book.