Baking

It’s not uncommon to encounter tarts like this one all over Italy, where it is known as crostata di miele e pignoli. The filling combines two ingredients typical to Italian baking—honey and pine nuts—with those universal to dessert making (eggs, cream, sugar, and butter). If you can find a creamy, spicy, floral variety such as Tasmanian leatherwood honey, use one-quarter cup in the filling, and balance it with one-third cup of pale, mellow honey, such as acacia. Otherwise, use all acacia, as suggested below. The crust is pasta frolla, an Italian short pastry with a crunchy, cookielike texture. Be careful not to overcook the tart; the filling should still jiggle in the center when you remove it from the oven, and it will firm as it cools.

The filling for this Italian-style tart begins with a flavorful reduction of port wine and brown sugar; half a fresh Thai chile is added for a subtle—but entirely optional—bit of heat. Start with the best fruit you can find. Small, oval Italian prune plums are firmer and sweeter than other plums; plus, since they are a freestone fruit, their pits are not attached to the flesh and are therefore easily removed.

References to quince pie date as far back as the 1400s; the dessert later garnered a mention in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Quinces look and taste like a cross between an apple and a pear; in fact, they are usually paired with one or the other, as in this recipe. Here, peeled, halved quinces are first poached in dessert wine with the reserved peels (for their signature rosy color) and a split vanilla bean (for flavor). Baking the pie in a cast-iron skillet helps the crust turn a deep golden brown and gives the pie a truly home-style appeal. You may substitute four additional Granny Smith apples for the poached quinces; soak the raisins in one-third cup of warm Calvados in place of the poaching liquid.

This pie exemplifies the thrift—and practicality—of the Shakers. Besides using the entire citrus fruit, peel and all, the filling calls for just two basic ingredients: sugar and eggs. The best-known Shaker pies are made primarily with lemons, but this one calls for oranges as well. Seek out unsprayed fruit whenever possible; also, those with thin skins will have the best flavor. In this recipe, the citrus slices are tossed with sugar and then allowed to macerate overnight; when the fruit is drained, the fragrant syrup is mixed into the filling along with the cut-up fruit. Whole slices adorn the top. The tart cranberry compote makes a nice accompaniment (especially at Thanksgiving), as do dollops of softly whipped cream.

This recipe features a twist on an all-American classic. The pâte brisée is rolled out on top of graham cracker crumbs for extra crunch and flavor. Because it requires only a handful of staples, the pie can be made any time of year; here, a summery sauce made from fresh berries and stone fruit is spooned over the top.

Usher in fall with a half dozen rustic yet refined tartlets. Over a wonderfully sweet “applesauce” made from the roasted fruit and Calvados, two layers of paper-thin apple slices are brushed with butter and sprinkled with sugar to help them caramelize as they bake. The tartlets are delicious still warm from the oven or at room temperature, especially with a snifter of Calvados served alongside for sipping.

This is no ordinary double-crust fruit pie. Fresh pears, dried figs, and toasted walnuts combine to create a wonderful contrast of tastes and textures. Before tossing them with the other ingredients, the figs are simmered in Madeira wine until softened; star anise adds an unexpected flavor note. Use kitchen shears to stem and quarter the figs.

Chocolate-covered caramels inspired this rich, silken pie. A generous amount of salt throughout balances the sweetness in an unexpected—yet entirely welcome—way.

Inspired by a beloved breakfast treat—yogurt parfait—this recipe borrows the main components (granola, yogurt, and fruit) and transforms them into a delicious dessert. The pie is not too sweet, but you can adjust it to your preference by drizzling as much honey as you like.

The flavor of coconut is especially intense in this pie: Sweetened shredded coconut flakes are blended into the press-in chocolate-wafer crust and the rich custard filling, and then toasted coconut is sprinkled all over the top to finish.

In this diner-style delight, a chocolate-wafer crust anchors a silky-smooth peanut butter and whipped cream filling. Drizzles of melted chocolate and peanut butter decorate the surface.

Consider this pie comfort food for grown-ups. Rum adds a spirited kick to both the custard filling and the whipped cream topping. A vanilla bean does double duty, as well: Its seeds dot the filling, and the pod infuses the whipped cream topping with a delicate flavor.

A Southern cousin to the chocolate cream pie, this version benefits from the addition of pecans, both in the crust and sprinkled on top. Although recipes vary—some include coffee, for example—a few elements are standard, such as the crumbly chocolate-wafer crust and a layer of rich chocolate custard so dark and dense it calls to mind the muddy banks of the Mississippi River.

Lightweight, airy chiffon pies are potluck favorites for a reason. The no-bake filling is stabilized with gelatin and lightened with egg whites, resulting in a sturdy yet ethereal tart that can be made well ahead of serving time yet still hold its shape.

Martha loves Key lime pie, especially the one served at Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant in Miami. Small, round, and yellow-green, Key limes pack a lot of punch, with a more pronounced flavor than more widely available, greener Persian limes. They are worth seeking out for the authentic flavor of the Florida Keys, but if you can’t find them, you may substitute bottled Key-lime or fresh Persian-lime juice instead. Depending on your preference, you can top the pie with meringue or sweetened whipped cream (page 340).

This timesaving alternative to traditional pumpkin pie doesn’t rely on a baked custard for its silky texture. Instead, cream cheese, gelatin, and evaporated milk are combined to create an easy no-bake filling. You can make the crust up to two days ahead; wrap well and store at room temperature before filling.

In the heyday of roadside restaurants, this tempting dessert was typically placed in the rotating glass case near the entrance, the better to entice hungry passersby. It was a good strategy: The pie’s velvety banana custard and billowy whipped-cream topping were—and remain—impossible to resist.

Long a harmonious pair, here coffee and pie are served together as one. Chocolate-covered espresso beans hint at the flavor of the filling below, which is spiked with both instant espresso and coffee liqueur.

Evoke memories of puddings, candies, and other childhood delights with this lush butterscotch beauty. Its grown-up look and taste derive from browned butter and brown sugar in the filling and jewel-like shards of hazelnut praline scattered on top.

Anyone who samples this sunny lemon tart can tell you that appearances don’t deceive: The dessert tastes every bit as bright and springlike as it looks. Egg yolks, sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice create a velvety curd that is poured into a crunchy cornmeal shell flecked with lemon zest and fresh sage. Before it is chilled to set, crème fraîche is dolloped over the curd filling and teased into a swirling pattern with a wooden skewer.