Tart

This lovely tart is great made during peach season, when peaches are at their peak. It can also be made with frozen peaches, but most store-bought brands are underripe and bland. If using frozen peaches, be sure to macerate them a little longer in the syrup/brandy mixture to soften them up. Test for readiness after the first 30 minutes, and continue to macerate as long as necessary, but not so long that they become mushy.

This is a simple, elegant, not-too-sweet dessert that you can whip up in no time. I recommend using Bosc or Anjou pears in this recipe, because they hold their shape when baked.

This is an easy-to-assemble pie that really takes us back to our childhoods. Blackberries grow wild all over Georgia, and coming from a family of great pie bakers, we were always motivated to pick them.

Think of this sweetie as a giant Linzer tart cookie. Use any flavor of fruit preserves that you want, add a bit of fresh fruit if you like, and have fun making a little crisscross lattice top! It’s super-cinchy—the only thing to remember is to use really high-quality preserves.

This is the most amazing upside-down cake you’ll ever make. And if you don’t already know how, you’ll learn to make caramel—which used to scare me to death. I always worried about burning it. But making caramel does not have to be an intimidating process—you just have to pay attention. You also want to remember that this is a flipper situation; you need to make the bottom of your tart look pretty because it’s going to end up as the top.

Lemon curd is very elegant. For some reason people think it’s difficult to make, but it’s not—it’s simple, quick, and has a lemony freshness and creamy texture that just screams, “Eat me!” In this tart, I pair the bright lemon curd with a nutty, crunchy crust—they’re perfect partners. What a combo!

Satsuma mandarins are a hardy little citrus grown all along the Gulf Coast areas south of I-10 from Satsuma, Texas, on through Satsuma, Alabama, to Satsuma, Florida. The juice is very sweet and low in acid and the fruit easy to strain, with only a seed or two found in each one. Look for satsumas along roadside stands.

Because this pastry is good at maintaining its shape and withstanding humidity, it’s the dough I turn to for blind-baking. It’s ideal for tarts with custard or light pastry cream fillings—or even Chocolate Crème Chiboust (see page 263). Sometimes I roll this pastry out flat, bake it until crisp, and then process it to use as a crumble under ice cream.

This is an all-round great tart dough. It’s my adaptation of a dough I learned from Thomas Haas when he was the executive pastry chef at Daniel. The pastry’s not too sweet, so it’s versatile. You can use it for everything from berry tarts to quiche. Put the flour in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before you start making this pastry. Chilled flour will make the flakiest dough.

This adaptation of Pâte Brisée (page 180) uses milk rather than water to make a richer pastry.

These little desserts are all about contrast. Picture a spongy soufflé with a creamy center, sitting in a crisp pastry shell. Then there’s the sensation of the two different kinds of chocolate playing off the bright, acidic taste of the passion fruit. Experiment with the flavors of the soufflé if you want, but keep it acidic. Try it with a puree of red currant, black currant, or raspberry.

Chocolate and lemon make an age-old combination; the tartness of lemon enhances the acidity of the cacao bean and cuts the fatty mouth feel. Meyer lemons have a short window of availability, and they’re coveted for their lemony-orangey flavor—which is particularly good when paired with chocolate. They’re versatile, with as many uses in the savory kitchen as in the pastry kitchen.

The origin of this dessert is Tarte Vaudoise, a traditional European pastry. I’ve replaced the original heavy cream with crème fraîche and added different nut textures. It may look simple on the plate, but it’s complex in flavor.

I often find myself reflecting back on principal recipes and techniques when I’m changing the menu at Jean Georges, then reworking them with modern flavor combinations. The fresh jam in this recipe makes a traditional tart more seasonal. Thai basil has a distinct flavor, so in addition to striking a modern note, it holds up well against the more homey notes struck by the cherries.

This is a riff on Jean-Georges’s grandmother’s rhubarb tart. It’s not her recipe for the pastry or the streusel, but the notion of macerating the rhubarb before baking and adding the flan came from her. Mustard may not be a traditional ingredient for desserts, but it adds a definite edge to the jam and it’s my nod to Alsace, from where Jean-Georges hails. You’ll have leftover jam. Try pairing it with cheese or with a sizzling steak.

A crostata is a free-form tart that can be served as a dessert or, like these two, filled with savory ingredients as an elegant starter.

Chocolate crust cradles a bevy of “superfoods,” including almonds, cherries, and eggs. Inspired by the French classic clafoutis, this tart is “choc full” of cherries. They float jewel-like inside a sweet, vanilla-scented custard. By the way, here are three good ways to pit a cherry: (1) Use an old-fashioned vegetable peeler that has a curved edge on top to scratch around the top of the cherry pit, then dig around the stone, scoop under it, and it will pop right out; (2) use a paring knife as above (but watch out—it’s easy to slice your fingertips); (3) use a cherry-pitter carried by some gourmet kitchen stores—a special tool invented just for this job! This recipe requires only half a batch of the Chocolate Sugar Dough—make a full batch and freeze half for future crust or cookie needs.