Tart

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 45 min

Country tart meets city topping; the streusel is revved up with nutty-tasting brown butter — a popular flavoring in this year's desserts.

(Tartelettes Feuilletées à la Rhubarbe et au Ricotta) At La Bastide Odéon, these are served with almond ice cream. Begin making the dessert one day ahead so that the rhubarb can drain overnight.

(Baked in a Tart Pan) For people who find even my less sweet Pecan Pie too sweet, or who are hopeless chocolate lovers, this is the answer. Cocoa perfectly tempers the sweetness of the filling and adds a full chocolate flavor that goes so well with pecans. If correctly baked, the filling, when cut, is soft and slightly molten. The surface of the pie is unusually appealing. Unlike the regular pecan pie where you can see clearly the shape of each nut, this filling cloaks the nuts with a dark milk-chocolaty glisten so you can just make out their shape.

For this recipe we call for a 13 1/2- by 4- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim; you could also use an 8 1/2- by 1-inch round tart pan (both have about a 3 3/4-cup capacity).

Elisa Mazzaferro-Rosenberg of Fort Collins, Colorado, writes: "I love to entertain, but between coming home late — I just completed my Ph.D. in small animal clinical sciences — and feeding my husband, Adam, I haven't had the time to have friends over much. I do manage to cook for holidays, though, and one of my favorite things is ricotta pie. This version, from my grandma Elsie, is a traditional Easter sweet on both sides of my Italian family."

Hira Rhode of North Bennington, Vermont, writes: "My husband took me to The Perfect Wife Restaurant & Tavern in nearby Manchester to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We rarely order dessert, but we couldn't resist the pear and almond tart. We have five pear trees of our own at home, so we could most definitely make good use of the recipe. Could you get it for us?" To create the most flavorful tart, be sure to use very ripe pears.

(TARTE ABRICOT VERLET) Verlet is a tiny tea and coffee shop that also serves good homemade pastries. Anyone who loves apricots will love this simple, homey pie. Be sure to use fresh, not canned, apricots.

Top off this easy-to-make dessert with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This tart has an unusual cake-like texture.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr

Every small town in Georgia seems to have its own peanut-dessert specialty for the holidays. This one features a creamy no-bake peanut butter filling in a crisp chocolate-crumb crust.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr