11 tart shell recipes

Fig chess tarts with a buttery lemon-scented shortbread shell, filled with brown sugar custard studded with chopped dried figs and walnuts. A Southern chess pie translated into bite-sized tart form.

Cherry-pistachio biscotti studded with tart dried cherries and bright green pistachios, brightened with lime zest and twice-baked to that classic dunkable crunch. Holiday cookie tin material.

Tart de Brymlent is a medieval Lenten tart of salmon baked with spiced apples, pears, and dried fruits in a pastry shell. A genuine old English sweet-savory recipe for history buffs and adventurous cooks.

Hungarian tarts with a cream cheese pastry shell and five filling options: almond, pecan, walnut, coconut, and farmer's cheese. A traditional holiday baking project.

Chocolate truffle tart with raspberries: a cocoa-rich press-in pastry shell filled with silky dark chocolate ganache and topped with fresh raspberries. Elegant and simple.

Mushroom tart with caramelized mixed mushrooms, thyme cream, Parmigiano, and crumbled blue cheese in a flaky puff pastry shell. A showstopper appetizer or light dinner with deep earthy flavor.

A show-stopping rhubarb tart in an almond pastry shell, served with fresh strawberry-kirsch sauce and homemade cinnamon ice cream. Three components, one unforgettable spring dessert.

Cranberry cheesecake pie with a tart cranberry-pecan layer beneath a creamy cream cheese filling, finished with a vanilla sour cream topping. A holiday dessert in a pie shell.

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.

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.

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.