Vegetarian

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.

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).

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.

A signature holiday pie—pumpkin—is reinterpreted as a dinner-party dessert for any time of year. If you don’t have the exact pans called for, just be sure that the pastry shells are slightly larger than the flans.

Despite its chic appearance, this dessert is really an uncomplicated icebox pie at heart. And it’s gluten-free, to boot. The pie requires only four ingredients—butter, chocolate, cream, and shredded coconut. The press-in crust comes together in seconds in a food processor. After it’s baked, the shell is filled with velvety ganache, which sets to a lovely, smooth sheen.

Lemon tarts are perennially popular, and this brûléed one has garnered most-favored-dessert status among Martha Stewart Living readers since it was first published in the magazine back in 1992. With its caramelized top, vibrant filling, and buttery crust, the eye- and palate-pleasing tart is sure to garner more rave reviews for many years to come. You can also make it in an 8-inch round tart pan.

Think of one of these glistening tarts as an elegant interpretation of a beloved candy bar: One bite into the chocolate crust reveals a center of soft caramel and toasted nuts. Each batch fills six small tartlet pans (or a seven-inch round tart pan). Vary them by topping some with chocolate ganache and others with chocolate shavings. To make shavings, spread leftover chocolate from step 4 on a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, then scrape with a knife or a dough scraper.

It’s fun to tinker with a familiar formula to create an altogether different dessert. In this twist on pumpkin pie, acorn squash is sweetened with honey and spiced with cinnamon and ginger for the filling, while cornmeal lends texture and flavor to the crust. The checkerboard pattern on the piecrust’s edge is simple to do—just snip the dough along the rim at even intervals and bend every other section back toward the center. Don’t skip the step of chilling the pie shell before baking—it’s crucial to helping the edge retain its shape.

Clafoutis, a rich, creamy custard dessert from the French countryside, is made from a quickly blended batter that is usually poured over fruit and baked. Cherries are the traditional choice, but other stone fruits, such as sliced apricots and plums, as well as berries and figs, are good options. Here, clafoutis makes an unexpected—and utterly delectable—filling for individual tarts.

More than other types of chocolate, milk chocolate melts in the mouth like butter, with a luscious taste and texture. It partners well with all varieties of nuts. Here, pistachios are mixed into the cookie crust, ground into a paste and spread over the partially baked crust, and sprinkled on top as a garnish. Slicing the tart reveals a “racing stripe” formed by the paste between the dark crust and filling.

Old-fashioned yet quietly innovative, this custard tart is satisfyingly rich and creamy. It’s also unsparing with the dominant spice, nutmeg—and all the better as a result.