Pies & tarts

Fruit pies, custard pies, tarts and galettes, with crust and filling guidance.

• Apple Crisp with Oat ToppingTender spiced apples under a crunchy brown sugar and oat topping. The best apple mix, a topping ratio that stays crisp, and fixes for watery or mushy fillings.
• Baked Beef EmpanadasArgentine-style baked empanadas with a sturdy lard dough and a juicy cumin and paprika beef filling. Weights for 12, the repulgue crimp and fixes for bursting.
• Bakewell TartShortcrust, raspberry jam and almond frangipane topped with flaked almonds. Balanced weights, a blind-bake plan and fixes for sunken or soggy Bakewells.
• Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer CrustLayers of vanilla pastry cream and sliced banana in a crisp wafer-crumb crust, under softly whipped cream. Cooking the custard properly and keeping bananas fresh.
• Blueberry Pie That Slices CleanlyBlueberry pie with a jammy, sliceable filling: cook half the berries first, then fold in the rest. Cutout top crust, frozen-berry notes and fixes for runny pie.
• Canadian Butter TartsSmall flaky tarts with a runny brown sugar and butter filling, the Canadian classic. Proportions for a gooey center, raisin options and how to stop boil-overs.
• Chicken Pot Pie with a Flaky Top CrustPoached chicken thighs and vegetables in a creamy sauce under an all-butter top crust. Sauce ratios, safe temperatures and how to keep the pastry from going soggy.
• Chocolate Ganache TartDark chocolate ganache set in a crisp cocoa shortcrust with no baking after it is poured. Ratios for a clean slice, a glossy top, and fixes for split ganache.
• Classic Double-Crust Apple PieA double-crust apple pie whose slices hold their shape: precooked apples, reduced juices and an all-butter crust. Weights, oven stages and cooling time included.
• Classic Southern Chess PieSouthern chess pie: butter, sugar and eggs with a little cornmeal and vinegar, baked to a crackly top and soft, sweet center. Doneness cues and crust tips.
• Cornish PastiesHand-crimped pasties with raw beef, potato, swede and onion that cook inside a sturdy pastry. Dough weights, filling layers, crimping and timing for juicy pasties.
• Dutch Apple Crumb PieSingle-crust apple pie under a thick brown-sugar streusel that stays crisp. Covers the crumb texture, how to keep it from burning, and when the apples are done.
• French Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron)A sharp, silky baked lemon cream in a crisp sweet almond shell. Exact weights, a low-oven bake for a smooth top, and fixes for cracks and soggy bases.
• French Silk Chocolate Pie (Cooked Eggs)Light, mousse-like French silk pie made with eggs heated to 71°C (160°F), whipped butter and dark chocolate in a cookie crust. Texture tips and chilling time.
• Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry CreamA bakery-style fruit tart: crisp sweet shell, vanilla pastry cream and glazed fresh fruit. Weights, assembly order and how to keep the crust from going soft.
• Fresh Peach PieRipe summer peaches in a flaky double crust, with the juice drained and reduced so the filling holds. How to peel, how ripe to buy, and how to know it is baked.
• Fruit Hand PiesFlaky half-moon hand pies with a precooked fruit filling that stays put. One all-butter dough, a filling formula for any fruit, and crimping that does not leak.
• Hot Water Crust Pork PieA hand-raised British pork pie with hot water crust, seasoned pork filling and set jelly. Dough handling, safe baking temperatures and a step-by-step jelly method.
• Key Lime Pie on a Graham Cracker CrustA tart, creamy key lime pie: condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice baked briefly on a toasted graham crust. Juice options, set test and chilling time.
• Lemon Meringue Pie That Does Not WeepSharp lemon filling under a tall Swiss meringue that stays put. Why meringue weeps or beads, how to seal it to the crust, and how long to cool and chill.
• Linzer TorteAn Austrian spiced hazelnut crust filled with tart red jam under a lattice. Dough ratios, a press-in method for the soft dough, and why it tastes better the next day.
• Mince Pies with Homemade MincemeatBritish Christmas mince pies with a quick stovetop mincemeat and rich, crumbly shortcrust. Weights for 12 pies, lid options and make-ahead timing.
• Mixed Berry Slab Pie for a CrowdA sheet-pan berry pie that cuts into 20 squares. Dough quantities, rolling a large rectangle, filling ratios, and how to bake it evenly from edge to center.
• Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)Portuguese custard tarts with a crackling spiral pastry and a scorched, blistered top. Home lamination, the sugar-syrup custard and a very hot oven, step by step.
• Pear Frangipane TartPoached pears fanned over almond frangipane in a sweet shortcrust tart shell. Covers poaching, blind baking, slicing the pears and judging when the filling is set.
• Pecan Pie with Toasted NutsPecan pie with a gooey but fully set filling and deeply toasted nuts. Explains corn syrup choices, a thermometer doneness test and how to avoid a runny center.
• Quiche LorraineA deep, wobbly bacon and Gruyère custard in a fully blind-baked crust. Egg-to-cream ratio, doneness temperatures and fixes for weeping or rubbery quiche.
• Savory Tomato GaletteA free-form tart of salted, drained summer tomatoes over Gruyère and mustard in a cornmeal butter crust. How to stop a watery base, with exact weights and timing.
• Smooth Pumpkin Pie Without CracksA silky pumpkin pie in a crisp, blind-baked crust. Gentle oven heat, a thermometer target and slow cooling keep the custard smooth and the surface crack-free.
• Sour Cherry Lattice PieTart cherry pie under a woven lattice, thickened to slice cleanly. Fresh, frozen and jarred cherry options, a lattice method and a bake-until-bubbling test.
• Southern Buttermilk PieTangy, custardy buttermilk pie with lemon and nutmeg, baked until the top is golden and the center barely trembles. Ratios, oven cues and serving notes.
• Southern Peach CobblerJuicy spiced peaches under tender buttermilk biscuit drops, plus the pour-over batter style. Fruit ratios, a pre-bake step and fixes for gummy topping.
• Southern Sweet Potato PieSilky Southern sweet potato pie from roasted sweet potatoes, butter and warm spice. Covers roasting, removing stringy fibers, and baking to a smooth set.
• Strawberry Rhubarb PieA sweet-tart spring pie of rhubarb and strawberries under a wide-strip lattice. How much thickener rhubarb needs, choosing stalks, and baking until set.
• Tarte TatinFrench upside-down apple tart: apples cooked in amber caramel in a skillet, baked under puff pastry and flipped. Apple choice, caramel color and a safe inversion.
• Toasted Coconut Cream PieCoconut cream pie with a coconut-milk custard, a flaky blind-baked shell and toasted coconut inside and on top. Toasting tips, custard cues and make-ahead timing.
• Tourtière (French-Canadian Meat Pie)French-Canadian spiced pork pie with cinnamon, cloves and a mashed potato binder in a double crust. Make-ahead plan, safe temperatures and fixes for runny filling.
• Treacle TartThe British treacle tart: golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon in short pastry, baked until just set. Ratios, warm-syrup tips and fixes for runny or hard filling.
• Wet-Bottom Shoofly PiePennsylvania Dutch molasses pie with a gooey bottom layer and a cake-like crumb top. Which molasses to buy, how the layers form and when the pie is done.

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