Tart

Dutch speculaas cookies are similar in taste to gingerbread men. This treat combines the spiced speculaas dough with another Dutch tradition: giving almond-filled tarts as gifts. Use a two-inch gingerbread-man cutter to make the cookies for the topping.

The graham craker crust provides a crunchy base for the rich, creamy filling.

The recipe for this "sugar tart," a Belgian classic, comes from Auberge du Moulin Hideux. Similar to a rustic coffee cake, this treat is lovely for brunch or as an afternoon snack with coffee or tea.

A brandied custard filling makes a wonderful backdrop for ripe apricots.

A lovely combination of apricots and cherries tops a tender crust in this great summertime treat. Serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

The nutty marzipan mixture is a delicious contrast to the sweet-tart plum filling.

We love the added flavor and texture the crust brings to this dessert, but if you're short on time, the crème caramel on its own is still delicious.

A rich cheesecake filling is baked in a tart crust for an elegant twist on a favorite.

"On a recent trip to the Napa Valley, my husband and I had lunch with friends in the Cask Room at Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena," writes Karen G. Shughart of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. "The meal was prepared by Knickerbocker's Catering. Desserts must be their specialty, because the apricot tart with cornmeal crust was fabulous." Serve this tart with or without the sweet Apricot Sauce. Cornmeal adds texture and flavor to the crust.

Before grilling the pineapple, be sure to preheat your grill rack and then clean it with a metal brush to remove any bits of previously grilled food, which can give an off flavor to the pineapple. This recipe makes great use of the Börner V-slicer*. Other adjustable-blade slicers also work well, but if you don't have one, you can use a sharp 10-inch chef's knife. The smooth-sided tart in our photo was made in a springform pan, but since the crust is very delicate, it's much easier and less likely to break when made in a round tart pan with a removable bottom as called for in the recipe below. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

(TARTELETTES AUX NOIX)

The unique filling has a flavor and soft texture reminiscent of orange marmalade.

For this recipe you will need two mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4 x 1-inch cups.

Malta This thin, cookie-like tart with a lattice crust is offered on a feast day that commemorates the birth of the Virgin Mary and the exit of the Turks in 1565.

Here, grapes top rounds of puff pastry (purchased, for ease), which form the crust of the two rustic tarts.