The recipe to make magic in the kitchen is quite simple: all you need is puff pastry (or the ingredients for a flaky, homemade pastry dough ) and a handful of fresh ingredients. Whether you’re craving something savory (like a Tomato Goat Cheese Tart) or something sweet (like a Blueberry, Balsamic and Star Anise Pie), we rounded up our all-time favorite tart, pie and galette recipes to whip up this weekend. Your family and friends will be asking for seconds!
Savory: Tomato Goat Cheese Tart With Basil Salad
This rustic pie studded with cherry tomatoes is served with loose basil salad, a nod to pesto.
Get the recipe for Tomato Goat Cheese Tart With Basil Salad .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home September 2016
Designer: Prop styling by Sasha Seymour
Sweet: Frangipane & Rhubarb Tart
“I keep this pastry dough and frangipane in my freezer at all times,” says globe-trotting gourmand Philip Haddad . “I love the acidity of the rhubarb brings to the frangipane, which turns into a semi-cakey layer on top of the tart.”
Get the recipe for Frangipane & Rhubarb Tart .
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home May 2018
Designer: Food styling by Kristen Eppich; Prop styling by Emma Reddington
Savory: Squash & Smoked Ham Tart
“This is a recipe we inherited from our mother, Louise,” says Angela Marotta and Melisa Marotta-Paolicell , owners of award-winning winery Two Sisters Vineyards. “It’s very light and has that nice sweet and savory combination from the squash’s natural sugars and the salty smoked ham. Mom’s tricks are to keep the phyllo under a wet cloth so it stays moist, and to butter each layer.”
Get the recipe for Squash & Smoked Ham Tart .
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home December 2018
Designer: Food styling by Eshun Mott; Prop styling by Emma Reddington
Sweet: Blueberry, Balsamic & Star Anise Pie
Blueberries, balsamic vinegar and star anise may seem like unusual companions, but in fact, the flavors meld perfectly into a sweet, rich and luxurious blueberry pie.
Get the recipe for Blueberry, Balsamic & Star Anise Pie .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home September 2016
Designer: Prop styling by Sasha Seymour
Savory: Heirloom Tomato Galette
“This is my take on that first home-cooked meal with my future in-laws,” says chef Mary Berg. “My mother-in-law whipped up this mile-high tomato pie that was so perfectly sweet and buttery.”
Get the recipe for Heirloom Tomato Galette .
Source: Excerpted from Kitchen Party by Mary Berg. Copyright © 2019 Mary Berg. Photography by Lauren Vandenbrook. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Sweet: Apricot Tarte Tatin
Using apricots instead of apples in a tarte Tatin transforms an inherently autumnal dessert into the very essence of summer. A bit of whipped cream or crème fraîche, or ice cream, will melt and mingle with the caramel, creating a rich and lovely sauce.
Get the recipe for Apricot Tarte Tatin .
Source: Excerpted from Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France by Melissa Clark. Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Clark. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Savory: Butternut Squash & Gruyère Tart With Rye & Walnut Crust
Adding an alternative flour like fiber-rich rye to a tart shell brings depth and dimension to the crust. The ground walnuts in this recipe also add a protein boost and complement the squash — this flavor combination is spot on.
Get the recipe for Butternut Squash & Gruyère Tart With Rye & Walnut Crust .
Photographer: Angus Fergusson
Source: House & Home December 2017
Designer: Prop styling by Joel Bray & Lauren Petroff
Sweet: Meyer Lemon Tart With Olive Oil & Fleur De Sel
“The flavors and textures here are a bit like lemon squares, but more refined,” says The New York Times columnist and Dinner in French cookbook author Melissa Clark.
Get the recipe for Meyer Lemon Tart With Olive Oil & Fleur De Sel .
Photographer: Laura Edwards
Source: Excerpted from Dinner in French by Melissa Clark. ©2020 by Melissa Clark. Photographs ©2020 Laura Edwards. Published in the U.S. by Clarkson Potter Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, New York. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Savory: Beef Tourtière
“This is a Canadian classic that makes me feel warm inside,” says chef Matty Matheson . “It’s easy, and if you don’t have time to make a dough, just buy it! I love making big batches with the family because the kids can play with the dough, make their own little versions, and the pies freeze really well. It gives me the most nostalgic feeling when I eat it — meat pie with ketchup!”
Photographer: Quentin Bacon
Source: House & Home January/February 2021
Sweet: Jim’s Pi Pie
This salty, sweet and fluffy pie is a dream dessert invented by Queer Eye culinary expert Antoni Porowski . With its sentimental origin and delectable taste, it’s sure to pull at the heartstrings.
Get the recipe for Jim’s Pi Pie .
Photographer: Paul Brissman
Source: Excerpted from Antoni in the Kitchen by Antoni Porowski with Mindy Fox. Photography © 2019 by Paul Brissman. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books/Houghton Mi in Harcourt.
Savory: Swiss Chard & Roasted Vegetable Galette
A galette is a free-form French pie and is a great way to serve a crowd. Roasting the root vegetables adds a wonderful savory kick to this dinner pie.
Get the recipe for Swiss Chard & Roasted Vegetable Galette .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home September 2016
Designer: Prop styling by Sasha Seymour
Sweet: Ottolenghi’s Mont Blanc Tarts
Named after the snowy mountain they resemble, Mont Blanc tarts — with their white meringue, whipped cream and tan-colored chestnut purée can often taste more fabulous than they look, with all that beige and white.
Get the recipe for Ottolenghi’s Mont Blanc Tarts .
Source: Excerpted from Sweet: Desserts From London’s Ottolenghi . Copyright ©2017 by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Photographs copyright ©Peden+Munk. All rights reserved. Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Random House LCC.
Savory: DJ BBQ’s Tomato Pie
“I spent my summers in Virginia Beach, where me and my grandaddy would fish in the Atlantic Ocean, and me and my grandma would do fish fries and clam bakes,” says pitmaster and YouTube personality Christian Stevenson . This tomato pie is the perfect side dish for all the above. It also makes a great main event. My vegetarian friends love it when I cook this — it’s an all-time favorite.”
Get the recipe for DJ BBQ’s Tomato Pie .
Photographer: Valerie Wilcox
Source: Excerpted from Fire Food: The Ultimate BBQ Cookbook by Christian Stevenson. Reprinted with permission from Quadrille Publishing c/o Chronicle Books, 2018.
Sweet: 13th Street Bakery Butter Tarts
Food expert Kristen Eppich hails these butter tarts from 13th Street Bakery in St. Catharines — the best ones in Canada. “The pastry is delicate yet sturdy, and the filling is just gooey enough,” she says. “What’s the trick? The tarts are baked in silicone muffin cups. Anything that bubbles over forms a sugary crunch, and you can still get them out of the pan.”
Get the recipe for 13th Street Bakery Butter Tarts .
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home July 2017
Savory: Braised Fennel, Orange & Black Olive Tart
Vegetables like fennel are quick-braised, meaning still-cooked in liquid but for a shorter amount of time than meat and usually on the stovetop. This tart combines the brightness of oranges with the brininess of olives, plus a licorice hit from the fennel.
Get the recipe for Braised Fennel, Orange & Black Olive Tart .
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Source: House & Home February 2017
Designer: Prop styling by Lauren Petroff
Sweet: Lemon & Dark Chocolate Tart
For this tart, yogurt is stirred into the lemon curd and also used as a garnish. The decadent chocolate layer is revealed only when you slice in.
Get the recipe for Lemon & Dark Chocolate Tart .
Photographer: Donna Griffith
Source: House & Home April 2017
Designer: Prop styling by Joel Bray