Pies and tarts

I’ve spent years dissatisfied with my pie crusts. They were okay. I mean, I still had pie. But, no matter whether or not I froze the butter or added vodka or vinegar or hauled out the food processor or used a pastry cutter, they always managed to be a little too dry to too soft …

This plum custard tart is just the thing for the first blush of fall. It’s something I threw together after coming home from the farmers market with a pint of oblong Italian prune plums and knowing I wanted to bake with them. Plums feel like a bit of a sleeper in the pantheon of fruit …

This easy shortbread tart crust is one of my most-used recipes. I turn to it all the time. And, to be honest, it took so much anxiety out of my tart baking. So many tart crusts involve pulling out the food processor, chilling the dough, rolling the dough, carefully draping it into the pan, chilling …

This cherry galette is the “oh, I just threw this on and somehow accidentally look fabulous” in the wardrobe of cherry desserts. Unlike classic cherry pie topped with intricate lattice work, a galette is casual and almost effortlessly chic. And, OMG, it’s delicious. The pie dough is the same one I use in this blueberry …

Here, have a blueberry galette. Galettes are pretty much my favorite form of pie. They’re rustic and are seldom perfectly symmetrical. And somehow that imperfection makes them look prettier to me. You can see that a galette was made by hand. But it’s not just the aesthetics of galettes that make them favorites. It’s also …

This chocolate peanut butter tart is basically a giant peanut butter cup. One with a crisp chocolate shortbread crust, filled with a peanut butter mousse made with a bit of crème fraîche for a subtle tang to lift the peanut butter flavor, and topped with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. It’s rich, and there’s nothing subtle …