101 tart shell recipes

Individual almond cream tarts: buttery pastry shells filled with almond-scented vanilla cream and topped with fresh kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and a glossy apple jelly glaze. A classic French patisserie dessert made home-doable.

Twice-baked almond cookie shells filled with a chewy caramel-nut center. Tiny tartlet-style sweets with crisp edges and a sticky-sweet filling, baked in muffin tins for a cookie-meets-tart hybrid.

Linzer torte builds a press-in almond and clove dough into a tart shell, then crowns with raspberry preserves, fresh berries, sliced almonds, and a powdered sugar dust. Austrian classic from the city of Linz.

Heritage apple pie with a butter-and-lard crust, tart Northern Spy apples, brown sugar, and a teaspoon of bread crumbs lining the bottom shell to keep it crisp. A three-stage bake delivers an evenly browned crust.

Orange sorbet blends fresh orange juice with peel-infused simple syrup and Grand Marnier for a bright, citrusy frozen dessert. Pipe into hollowed orange shells for an elegant presentation.

Roger's scallop tarts: delicate pastry cups filled with garlic-cream cheese, seared scallops, and a tiny crown of caviar. A classy, bite-sized seafood appetizer.

Mole de guajolote is a traditional Mexican turkey in mole sauce made from scratch with ancho, mulato, and pasilla chilies, chocolate, sesame seeds, peanuts, and warm spices.

Pad Thai with chicken, shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts in a fish sauce and lime dressing. A classic Thai stir-fry made at home.

Pasta stuffed pizza-style, jumbo pasta shells filled with shredded zucchini, torn pepperoni and Italian bread crumbs, baked under tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. A pizza-night mashup in shell form.

New England clam chowder with clarified butter, leeks, celery and Idaho potato in fresh clam juice and heavy cream. Topneck clams give the proper briny depth. Restaurant-style at home.

Authentic Szechuan shrimp: jumbo shrimp marinated in egg, sesame oil, and rice wine, then velveted in peanut oil and wok-tossed with hot bean paste, ginger, garlic, and ketchup. Glossy, spicy, and restaurant-quality.

Plump shrimp seared with loads of garlic, blistered green beans, fresh ginger, and a hit of chili-garlic paste. Finished with lime juice and sesame oil for a bright, savory weeknight stir-fry.

Fideus with clams features toasted vermicelli cooked in homemade fish stock with steamed clams, topped with a chive-garlic mayonnaise. A Spanish-inspired seafood pasta worth the effort.

Veal and crayfish stew in a sherry cream sauce with mushrooms, nutmeg, and lemon. Tender braised veal meets sweet crayfish tails in this elegant French-inspired dish.

Chinese fried dumplings stuffed with pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, and ginger, served with a hot chili dipping sauce. Crispy, golden, and deeply savory.

Traditional Mexican meatball soup with mint and cilantro in the albondigas, simmered in rich beef broth with chayote squash, carrots, cabbage, leeks, and small pasta.