Vegetarian

You can adjust the amount of sugar in this recipe to suit your preference; for unsweetened whipped cream, simply omit the sugar.

Pastry cream is the classic filling for French fruit tarts; it can also be folded into other fillings, such as whipped cream or the rich ricotta custard in the Neapolitan Easter Pie on page 253. Like many other custards, it is thickened with eggs and cornstarch; the mixture must be brought to a full boil to activate the starch and set properly. We use a whole vanilla bean, but you can substitute vanilla extract in its place.

Inspired by the robust cooking of Alsace, a region in northeastern France bordering Germany, this flaky pie features a rich filling of potatoes, Comté (or Gruyère) cheese, leeks, and garlic-infused cream. Rather than adding the cream to the filling at the beginning, it is poured through the vents on top of the pie only after the pastry has turned golden brown, and then the pie is baked ten minutes more. This allows the crust to crisp properly and keeps the potatoes from soaking up all the cream before the pie has finished baking.

The lattice top is taken to a new level with this yellow-and-green basket-weave design made from strips of summer squashes. The tart offers as good a reason as any to head to a farmers’ market—or, if you’re lucky, your own garden—for zucchini and yellow squash. Use a mandoline or other adjustable-blade slicer to slice the squashes lengthwise.

It’s not so important which vegetables you use in these colorful, nutritious tarts—rather, that there is a seasonal bounty. Here, eggplant, red onion, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, kale, and red bell peppers fill cornmeal crusts, but you could easily use green beans, corn, or mushrooms. The crust is light and crisp, with less butter than many pastry doughs. To make free-form versions, spoon filling onto center of each dough round, and fold the edges inward. Serve each tartlet with a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese, if desired. Add a green salad to balance out a healthy lunch.

Combined with garlic, fresh chile, walnuts, olives, and Parmesan, the humble scallion is the basis for a delightfully earthy, toss-together topping for puff-pastry squares. As the tartlets bake, the scallions caramelize, turning golden, sweet, and intensely flavorful. Instead of individual tartlets, you can form the dough and filling into two large tarts: Roll out and cut pastry into two eight-inch squares, divide filling evenly between crusts, and bake thirty minutes.

A savory short crust flavored with manchego envelops Spanish-inspired hand pies filled with oven-roasted cauliflower, toasted hazelnut paste, chopped rosemary, and more of the grated cheese. Serve them as an appetizer, with slices of membrillo (Spanish quince paste often served alongside cheese, for tapas) and a glass of fine sherry.

Chopped fresh rosemary, grated parsnip, and cheese flavor the crust of these sensational little tarts. More cheese is sprinkled over the apple-and-onion filling. The tarts are perfect for an autumn picnic, harvest party, or other outdoor occasion.

Pies and tarts filled with Swiss chard, pine nuts, and raisins are common in southern France and Italy, where they may be served for dessert, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar or toasted almonds. Goat cheese and anchovies make this galette decidedly savory, while the crust departs from the standard with wholesome oats and whole-wheat flour.

Puff pastry replaces phyllo dough to produce handheld individual servings of spanakøpita, a Greek spinach-and-feta pie. As such, the turnovers are quicker to assemble (no buttering and stacking of sheets necessary) yet still bake to a crisp, golden, flaky finish. You can prepare and freeze the turnovers two months in advance, then bake them straight from the freezer. Because feta cheese is on the salty side, taste the filling before seasoning it.

For this woven pie-dough pattern, the spacing of the strips is varied to create a seemingly complex geometric design that is actually no more difficult than a basic lattice. Rum-poached pineapple pieces peek out from beneath the open-weave crust.

Martha originally created this recipe for a boating picnic in Maine. The tartlets are filled with blueberries, both fresh and preserved. Almond flavors the sturdy crust and the cakelike batter for the filling. Use wild blueberries if you can find them; otherwise, cultivated berries will do—the smaller, the better.

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.