Savory Pie and Tart

When buying the dried chile for this recipe, be aware that a pasilla de Oaxaca is not the same as a regular pasilla chile. The former is smoked and has a very distinct flavor.

The mixture known as duxelles (diced mushrooms cooked with shallots or onions) probably dates back to the seventeenth century. It is said that the famous chef La Varenne, who worked for the Marquis d'Uxelles, created this recipe to preserve mushrooms. Serve this tart with baby greens for a light lunch, or enjoy it as a starter with a white Burgundy.

The empanadas can be put together ahead of time and popped into the oven to bake just before serving.

This pie is made from the overflowing bounty of the backyard garden. Fresh corn and zucchini seasoned with dill bake underneath Parmesan-crusted tomatoes to make a scrumptious entrée that can be served warm or at room temperature.

Nice for lunch or dinner with some salad, or as a snack at teatime.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A nonstick skillet and an adjustable-blade slicer make this elegant dish easy. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

(Onion, Anchovy, and Olive Tarts)

Little polenta "tarts" are filled with tomatoes, pine nuts, and blue cheese, then popped into the oven until the cheese melts.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr Don't use water-packed tuna for this recipe — it's too bland for the filling. Tuna packed in olive oil, however, will make for empanaditas that taste genuine. Especially with a glass of Fino Sherry.

Tlacoyos con Queso de Cabra Traditionally these rustic cakes are made with a mashed bean filling. The goat cheese called for here adds a contemporary twist.

The crust of this tart is tender and quite crumbly.

These splendidly rich tarts are my version of French onion galettes. Buttery, flaky pastry crusts are filled with deeply caramelized onions that are generously laced with sage. The steps to prepare these tarts may seem familiar, but if you take extra care with them, you'll be amazed by the results. Handle the pastry with precision so that it bakes tender, flaky, and shatteringly crisp; spend the time to slowly and thoroughly caramelize the onions until they melt into a golden marmalade; and give the tarts their final baking as close to serving time as possible. You'll notice the onions are caramelized in a deep saucepan instead of a wide skillet. It makes them easier to stir without flying out of the pan and gives them a chance to soften and stew in their own liquid before it boils away. Once the liquid evaporates, the onions will concentrate and brown, and the balsamic vinegar works to balance the sweetness of the onions and deepen their color. For the best flavor, the whole process should take at least half an hour. Be sure to use regular yellow onions, not Walla Walla, Vidalia, or other sweeter summer onions—they have too much water and do not caramelize well. Serve the tarts as an hors d'oeuvre at any elegant occasion, or as an accompaniment to a seasonal salad for a light lunch or supper.

The potatoes and yams are perked up with fresh ginger and with lemons.

Quiche made its way from France to our shores in the sixties, but it was in the seventies that its popularity soared.

Serve this quickly prepared dish with a tossed green salad and chilled melon for a summer brunch or light supper.