Vegetarian

Ethereal mousse, made by folding chocolate ganache into sweetened whipped cream, is firmly rooted in a humble cookie-crumb-and-nut crust. Candied hazelnuts are sprinkled on top.

Crème brûlée—a French restaurant favorite whose name means “burned cream”—is delicious all on its own, but even more so when baked in a crisp tart shell. A kitchen torch is used to caramelize the sugar on the surface of the custard, producing spectacular color and crackle. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, use the broiler: chill the tarts for half an hour, then broil them for about a minute. For the best results, prepare the tarts no more than one day in advance, and wait to brûlée them until just before serving. This way, the shells will remain firm and crumbly, and the topping will retain its trademark sheen.

Few desserts are as vibrantly seasonal and—contrary to its eye-catching appearance—as downright simple as this. Sliced apricots arranged in alternating rows lie on a bed of rich pistachio paste atop puff pastry. Chopped pistachios are scattered on top.

What’s more appealing than a batch of fresh-baked, half-moon-shaped pies filled with rich homemade apple butter? Nothing, except maybe a batch of hand pies filled with an assortment of colorful, tasty fruit butters (try peach, plum, apricot, or pear). If you are making your own apple butter, choose eating apples, such as Mutsu, Gala, or Golden Delicious.

A homemade dessert does not have to be complicated. This tart involves little more than assembling a few staples from the freezer and the pantry. Think of it as a deconstructed chocolate-almond croissant—one meant for the end of a meal, rather than the start of the day.

Small puff-pastry squares make great vessels for summer fruits steeped in honey and fresh lime juice. The technique for making the shells is similar to that used to create the French pastries known as vol-au-vents (or “flying in the wind,” so called for their ethereal texture). Vol-au-vents are traditionally filled with savory fillings and served as a first course. Here, plums and strawberries fill the pastries for the last course; feel free to substitute other fresh berries or stone fruits, and to garnish each with a tiny dollop of whipped cream, if you wish.

Consider this a sweet blending of culinary tastes and traditions. As in many Italian desserts, the fruit is minimally sweetened, and seasoned simply with fresh citrus zests. Apples are sautéed until golden, then tumbled onto a round of rich pastry dough to create a crostata. The whole thing is finished with a crumb topping with subtle hints of two classic Thanksgiving pie spices, cinnamon and allspice, and served with another all-American favorite, vanilla ice cream.

Prunes, or dried plums (as they are sometimes called), become downright irresistible when drenched in a flavorful concoction of red wine, sugar, cinnamon, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Here, the poached fruit gets baked atop puff pastry for an easy, elegant dessert.

Crisp, flaky sheets of phyllo topped with sugar-coated Pluots celebrate simplicity and summer at once. Pluots, a cross between plums and apricots, are available at farmers’ markets and many supermarkets; feel free to substitute any other stone fruit. Have a clean, damp kitchen towel ready to cover the unused sheets of phyllo dough and keep them from drying out while you work.

Cherries and almonds go hand in hand in many traditional baked goods. To produce this flat tart, lightly sweetened and spiced Bing cherries and ground almonds are heaped onto a rough oval of pâte sucrée; the edges of the pastry are then folded over and pleated to form a border, then the whole thing is baked to a gloriously glossy sheen.

This late-summer last course offers the opportunity to experience the pleasure of perfect peaches, enhanced only slightly by flaky pastry shells and an easy wine glaze. The peach flavor remains largely unadulterated—just dressed up a bit for dinner. Guests will thank you for your generosity in sharing such a singular taste of the season.

A mixture of sweet Bartlett pears and sour cherries fills sheets of flaky puff pastry. Traces of ground black pepper and five-spice powder (a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, star anise, and Szechuan pepper used in Chinese cooking) provide exotic notes.

Rhubarb paired with raspberries may not be as common a pie filling as rhubarb and strawberries, but the combination is just as delicious (or even more so, depending on who you ask). Here, the two are simply tossed with cornstarch and sugar, then centered on small rounds of pâte brisée to create individual galettes.

Here’s a great weeknight dessert option—no rolling pin required. The cream cheese dough comes together quite easily, and is simply patted into a thin round. A single pear is thinly sliced, then tossed in a bowl with pear brandy, sugar, and lemon juice. The mixture is then fanned out over the dough before baking. Whipped cream makes a nice accompaniment, as does a snifter of pear brandy, naturally.

All you need is one formula to produce a nearly infinite variety of French-style fruit tarts. Start with a pâte sucrée crust, add pastry cream, and top with fresh fruit. You can scatter the fruit freehand, or arrange it in a pattern to make a tarte composée (literally, a “composed tart”). Here, summer berries are mixed and matched, but you can also use stone fruits such as cherries or apricots, or fresh figs or grapes. Pâte sucrée is sturdier than pâte brisée, making it a good choice for tarts that are unmolded before serving. Because the filling is not baked in the crust, it is necessary to blind-bake the shells completely. Traditionally, French fruit tarts are glazed with jam for a polished sheen, but this step is optional; a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a few tiny flowering herbs look equally lovely. To make a nine-inch tart, use half a recipe of Pâte Sucrée, and add about five minutes to the baking time.

A woven lattice makes a striking top for a fruit pie, especially colorful fruit, such as blueberries; the open weave allows a peek at the filling and lets steam escape as the pie bakes. The process of weaving the top is easy to follow—cut the dough into strips, preferably with a fluted pastry wheel, and arrange them on top of the filling. This pie and many others with juicy berry fillings are thickened with cornstarch, which has stronger thickening properties than flour (a more appropriate choice for less juicy apples or pears). You may want to adjust the amount of thickener if the berries are particularly juicy, or if you prefer a firmer or looser pie filling.

Apple pie is the best-known example of a fruit pie, and for many, it serves as an introduction to double-crust pie-making. To begin, you’ll need a big bowlful of tart, firm apples; use a mix of varieties for the best flavor. The apples are tossed with lemon juice, sugar, spices, and flour, the last of which thickens the juices. Keeping the dough cool as you work is crucial; refrigerate it between steps and before baking to promote a flaky crust and help the pie maintain its shape. A few vents in the top crust will allow steam to escape. For shine and sparkle, brush the top with an egg wash (see page 327) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Flute or crimp the edges as desired, and feel free to embellish the top crust with cutouts made from scraps of dough. Finally, resist the temptation to cut into the pie before it has completely cooled (about 3 hours); otherwise it will not have time to set properly.

Lemon meringue pie is a perfectly balanced dessert marked by swirling peaks of sweet, nearly weightless meringue atop a rich mouth-puckering filling. A few tricks are in order, however, to help prevent common mishaps, such as a soggy crust or runny filling. First, the crust must be fully blind-baked so that it gets crisp and firm. A half-butter, half-shortening crust like the one used here has a pleasantly crumbly, tender texture. (Substitute an all-butter crust, if you prefer.) The stove-top custard filling is thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch. It must come to a full boil and then cook for several minutes in order to activate the cornstarch and thicken properly.