Puff Pastry

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are layered with white chocolate cream and store-bought puff pastry for a beautiful finale.

Start this romantic supper with Russian caviar and ice-cold lemon vodka. The main course is a simplified but impressive interpretation of the Russian fish pie known as kulebiaka, which the French call coulibiac. Offer Champagne with the entrée, and finish the meal with babas au rhum from a French bakery to complete the cross-European elegance.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve grapes, apples and figs alongside.

This easy dish features thinly sliced, roasted leeks and fennel with grated Parmesan and poppy seeds baked inside a store-bought puff pastry crust. Serve the tart for with a green salad on the side.

(Torta di Bietola ed Erbe) In the more rugged areas of Tuscany, like the Garfagnana and Lunigiana in the northwest, savory tarts are as popular as their sweet counterparts. Vegetable tarts are quite common and usually include greens and herbs. This one features Swiss chard, thyme and oregano. Other herbs used in such tarts are tarragon, sage, nettles and borage.

These delicious small pastries are easy to make, and they're sure to disappear quickly.

Hybrids can be substituted in this recipe.

This dessert is as impressive as it is simple. And any number of variations would be equally tempting. Try using a mixture of apples and pears, substituting ground ginger for the cinnamon, or sprinkling the warm tart with finely chopped pecans.

Sophistication in a snap. Purchased puff pastry takes most of the work out of making this beautiful tart.

(Tartelettes Feuilletées à la Rhubarbe et au Ricotta) At La Bastide Odéon, these are served with almond ice cream. Begin making the dessert one day ahead so that the rhubarb can drain overnight.

Lee Schmidt of Wichita, Kansas, writes: "My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon in Mexico. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the elegant Mahakua Hacienda de San Antonio in Colima. Our last night there, we dined on the rooftop terrace and shared an amazing pineapple tartlet." Dice any leftover pineapple and use it, with its caramel syrup, as an ice cream topping.

You can serve this dish—a cheese and fruit course in one—in lieu of dessert. Half a pear with some greens also makes a nice first course or light brunch.