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.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.
Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.
Tender, juicy chicken skewers are possible in the oven—especially when roasted alongside spiced chickpeas and finished with fresh tomatoes and salty feta.
An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.
You’ll want to put this creamy (but dairy-free) green sauce on everything and it’s particularly sublime under crispy-skinned salmon.