Tart

There's a rich cream cheese base in this simple yet sophisticated dessert.

This is a cross between two English classics. The Bakewell tart, named after the town in Derbyshire where it was supposedly invented by accident in the nineteenth century, is a layered jam, custard and almond treat. Burnt cream is the English cousin and forerunner of the French crème brûée. It's also known as Trinity cream, since it is thought to have originated at Cambridge's Trinity College in the eighteenth century.

Hélène Wagner-Popoff writes, "My husband, Ivan, and I moved to Corsica from Madagascar eleven years ago on a whim. We restored an abandoned convent and saved the thousand-year-old olive grove surrounding it. The fact that I live in the country — with the luxury of having a garden full of wonderful ingredients — makes it easy for me to love cooking. I strive to teach my three little girls how to take pleasure in the simple, good things in life."

This lovely dessert must be chilled at least two hours (or up to one day) before serving.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 6 1/4 hr (includes cooling and chilling)

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes making pastry shell)

The chef bakes individual tarts in small cast-iron pans, but he suggests that the home cook make one large tart. He serves each tart with a scoop of his own vanilla-bean ice cream and a "barber pole" of dark and white chocolates.

This tart will satisfy any chocolate lover. To make the chocolate curls, briefly microwave a 12-ounce block of bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) until it's just slightly softened. Pull the blade of a heavy large knife across the surface to form curls.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An impressive but easy dessert that's like a custard with fruit baked in it. In the summertime, make it with fresh peaches or plums instead of the pears.

A version of the southern classic; this one has a fudgy texture.

A buttery free-form crust joins forces with a lucious fruit filling to make the perfect seasonal dessert. Just add vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.

This confection calls for half of our recipe for sweet tartlet shells. Use the remaining half for Chocolate Raspberry Bites.

What to drink: Malvasia, a sweet Italian dessert wine, or a dessert Sherry made with Pedro Ximénez grapes. Susan Simon likes the Carlo Hauner 2000 Malvasia delle Lipari Passito, also from Salina.

Purchased puff pastry makes the flaky crust super-easy, while using a nonstick cake pan makes the tarte a cinch to remove.