• 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
• 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (omit for a savory crust)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place the butter pieces in a bowl or on a plate and freeze for at least 20 minutes. Refrigerate the water in a small measuring cup until needed.

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Process for 10 seconds to blend the ingredients. Add the frozen butter pieces and pulse 6 to 10 times (in 1-second bursts), until the butter and flour mixure looks like crushed crackers and peas.

Immediately transfer the butter-flour mixture to a large bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the cold water over the mixture and “fluff” it in, then add another, and another, until 3 tablespoons have been added. Continue to fluff and stir 10-12 times. It will not be a cohesive dough at this point but a bowl of shaggy crumbs and clumps of dough. Before bringing the dough together, you need to test it for the correct moisture content. Take a handful of the mixture and squeeze firmly. Open your hand. If the clump falls apart and looks dry, remove any large, moist clumps from the bowl and then add more water, one teaspoon at a time, sprinkling it over the top of the mixture and immediately stirring or mixing it in. Test again before adding any more water. Repeat, if needed. The dough is done when it holds together (even if a few small pieces fall off). If the butter feels soft and squishy, refrigerate before continuing. If the butter is still cold and firm, continue to the next step.

Turn the dough out on a work surface and knead gently 3 to 6 times. If it won’t come together and looks very dry, return it to the bowl and add another teaspoons or two of water (one at a time), mixing in as above, and try again. Flatten the dough in a 6- or 7-inch disk, wrap in plastic or parchment paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  This allows time for the dough to hydrate fully and for the butter to firm up again.

If the dough has been chilled for more than 30 minutes, you may need to let it sit 10 to 15 minutes on the counter until it is soft and malleable but still cold. Dust your work surface generously with flour and set the disk on the flour. Dust the top with flour. Roll, turning the dough, until you’ve got a 14-15 inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. If at any point the dough becomes too warm and sticky, gently fold it into quarters, unfold it on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until butter is firm again.

Fold the dough circle into quarters, brushing off any excess flour as your fold. Put the point of the folded dough in the center of the pie pan, tart pan, or baking sheet, and unfold the dough, lifting it slightly as necessary to ease it into the crevices of the pan. Do not stretch or pull the dough, which can cause thin spots, holes, and/or shrinkage during baking. Trim the dough using kitchen scissors or a knife (carefully) so it overhangs the edge of the pan by 1 inch. Fold the overhanging dough under itself around the pan edge, then crimp or form a decorative border. Chill for 30 minutes before baking.

If you need a baked shell, bake the dough in a preheated 375 degrees F oven on the lower third rack. Be sure to line the shell with heavy duty foil, and fill with pie weights (or dry beans). Bake the shell 20-22 minutes, until foil comes away from dough easily, if it doesn’t, bake another 5-6 minutes and check again. Remove pan from oven, close oven door, and carefully lift out foil and weights from shell. Return pan to oven and continue baking the shell 20-25 minutes longer until golden brown all over. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

The tart crust dough has a softer texture and sweeter taste. Tarts are very similar to pies, with the exception of the crust. Generally speaking, you can fill tarts and pies the same.

Tart Crust Dough (The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream (more as needed)

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine on low speed abuot 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas.

Whisk the egg with the cream and add to the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until the dough is just combined. Continue mixing for 10 seconds longer. If the dough is too dry to form a ball, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently mold the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to a 1/8 inch thickness on a generously floured flat surface. Fold it over the rolling pin and gently transfer the dough to a 10 inch tart pan. Press it lightly into place. It is now ready to for you to fill and bake it.

Tart Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream (more as needed)

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine on low speed abuot 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas.

Whisk the egg with the cream and add to the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until the dough is just combined. Continue mixing for 10 seconds longer. If the dough is too dry to form a ball, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently mold the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to a 1/8 inch thickness on a generously floured flat surface. Fold it over the rolling pin and gently transfer the dough to a 10 inch tart pan. Press it lightly into place. It is now ready to for you to fill and bake it.

Pumpkin Filling:

• 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)

Streusel Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter

Line a 10-inch tart pan with the tart dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the filling, spoon the pumpkin into a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, the sugars, the salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and flour; whisk vigorously about 30 seconds. Whisk in the cream and bourbon.

To make the topping, combine the flour, both sugars, the cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Pulse 3-5 times, until the mixture is crumbly.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared tart crust. Spoon the streusel topping evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Don’t worry, it won’t fall to the bottom. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is set. Let the tart cool at least 1 hour before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Cocoa Tartlet Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a bowl. In a food processor, combine the butter and sugar and process until blended. Add the flour mixture and process until almost combined, about 8 seconds.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and process until the dough comes together. Transfer to a work surface dusted with cocoa and knead 2 or 3 times to bring the dough together; it will be very soft.

Press into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the gluten relax. The dough can be chilled or at room temperature when pressing into the tart pans.

Pat the dough into a 6-inch by 9-inch rectangle and cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into thirds; you should have six 3-inch squares. Place each square in a 3-inch tartlet pan, then dip your fingertips in cocoa powder and press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pans.

Press off any excess dough from around the edges, and use any scraps to fill holes or cracks. Chill the tartlets for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place tartlet shells on a baking sheet and bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let the shells cool on a wire rack.

Key Lime Filling:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons white rum
• 8-10 key limes

Whisk together all but 3 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk (save the 3 tablespoons for another use), the whole egg, egg yolks, and rum. Finely grate the zest from 3 of the limes, the squeeze 1/3 cup lime juice.

Whisk the zest and juice into the condensed milk mixture. Ladle the filling into the tartlet shells, dividing it evenly, and bake until just set, about 15 minutes. Let cool at room temperature on the baking sheet on a wire rack, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, spread with creme fraiche or whipped cream.

Yield: Six 3-inch tartlets

I was going to make a sable tart dough and fill it with lime curd when I came across this recipe for Key Lime Cocoa Tartlets. The key lime filling is simplified by using a can of sweetened condensed milk, making it a quick recipe, but the chocolate crust is what sets this tartlet apart from others. Key lime and chocolate? Delicious!

It’s a very soft dough, but it survives the pressing and prodding of fingertips into the little tart pans beautifully. The shells remained tender and delicate. After pressing them into their molds I let the dough rest in the refrigerator to relax the glutens. This also prevents the shells from shrinking too much while they bake.

Another note on the chocolate tartlet dough- use the best quality cocoa you can get. I like to bake with high fat cocoa powders, anywhere in the range of 22-24% cocoa fat. You can find good cocoa powders online, such as sites like www.kingarthurflour.com and www.pastrychef.com. They really lend a richness and an intense chocolate flavor to recipes. The first time I used a higher fat cocoa powder I was amazed at its likeness to brownie batter when simply whisked with water.

If you’re feeling a bit betrayed by the fact that cocoa powder can have a high fat content, just consider this:

1. A dessert made with pure, high quality ingredients is going to be very rich in flavor and taste.

2. It is much easier to satisfy cravings with a small sliver of an intensely decadent, delicious dessert rather than a huge slice of a sub-par one that still leaves you lingering for something else.

3. With high quality you always win!

I also loved the combination of key lime and chocolate in these tartlets. It’s easy to fall into the chocolate-orange trap. Citrus flavors are fun and diverse: tangerine, grapefruit, blood orange, Meyer lemon, kumquat…the list goes on.

Top the tartlets any way you wish. I used creme chantilly, a sweetened whipped cream. The actual recipe calls for creme fraiche.

Key Lime-Cocoa Tartlets (New Flavors for Dessert by Williams-Sonoma)

Cocoa Tartlet Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a bowl. In a food processor, combine the butter and sugar and process until blended. Add the flour mixture and process until almost combined, about 8 seconds.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and process until the dough comes together. Transfer to a work surface dusted with cocoa and knead 2 or 3 times to bring the dough together; it will be very soft.

Press into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the gluten relax. The dough can be chilled or at room temperature when pressing into the tart pans.

Pat the dough into a 6-inch by 9-inch rectangle and cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into thirds; you should have six 3-inch squares. Place each square in a 3-inch tartlet pan, then dip your fingertips in cocoa powder and press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pans.

Press off any excess dough from around the edges, and use any scraps to fill holes or cracks. Chill the tartlets for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place tartlet shells on a baking sheet and bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let the shells cool on a wire rack.

Key Lime Filling:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons white rum
• 8-10 key limes

Whisk together all but 3 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk (save the 3 tablespoons for another use), the whole egg, egg yolks, and rum. Finely grate the zest from 3 of the limes, the squeeze 1/3 cup lime juice.

Whisk the zest and juice into the condensed milk mixture. Ladle the filling into the tartlet shells, dividing it evenly, and bake until just set, about 15 minutes. Let cool at room temperature on the baking sheet on a wire rack, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, spread with creme fraiche or whipped cream.

Yield: Six 3-inch tartlets

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (you will have one leftover in your package)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 small to medium baking apples
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Peel (a vegetable peeler works great for this), core, and cut the apples in half. Place one half, cut side down, on a cutting board. With a small sharp knife, thinly slice the apple half into about 12 slices. Do not move or separate the slices. Repeat with the remaining 5 halves. Leave cut side down.

Cut the puff pastry into 6 rectangles and place on the baking sheet. Pick up one apple half without disturbing the slices. Place on a pastry rectangle and apply slight pressure on the diagonal to fan out the apple slices until they nearly fill the length of the pastry rectangle. Leave a border of 1/4 inch all the way around. Repeat with remaining rectangles of puff pastry and apple halves.

Sprinkle each tartlet with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden around the edges and the apples are softened. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature. These are best served the day they are made.

Yield: 6 tartlets (6 generous servings, it is best give each person their own tartlet)

Pie Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Filling:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dark corn syrup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
• 2 cups whole macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed until combined. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of dried peas.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream, then add them to the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until the dough is combined. Continue mixing for another 10 seconds. If the dough is too dry to form a ball, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently mold the dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you make the nut filling.

To make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3-inch (standard) muffin pans with butter or cooking spray (really, any size muffin tin will work, although mini muffin tins might produce a nut pie with too much crust). Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Stir in the syrup and sugar, bring the mixture to a boil, and remove the saucepan from the stove. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl just until blended. Pour 1/4 cup of the hot mixture into the eggs and whisk until combined (mixing a small amount of the hot mixture into the eggs keeps the eggs from scrambling. If this happens, don’t fret, just pour the mixture through a strainer). Gradually whisk the rest of the hot mixture into the eggs. Whisk in the salt, and bourbon, if using.

To assemble the pies: On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 1/8 inch thick disk. Dip a 4-inch biscuit cutter (or drinking glass) in flour and cut out the rounds as close together as possible so you don’t have to keep re-rolling and working the dough. Lightly press the rounds of dough into the muffin pans to cover the bottom and sides evenly. Spoon in the macadamia nuts, evenly dividing them among the muffin cups, and sprinkle with the chocolate chips, if using. Pour the syrup over the nuts and chocolate chips until the cups are almost full. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Run a small spatula or knife around the edge of each pie to loosen it, then gently remove from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Yield: 2 dozen pies

Sweet Tart Dough (Makes one 10- or 11-inch tart crust or one 9-inch pie crust):

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until the butter is finely mixed into the ingredients- you do not want any visible pieces of butter (this is a soft crumbed crust, not a flaky crust).

Add the egg, egg yolk, and water. Pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a ball. Invert the food processor bowl over a floured work surface to turn out the dough. Carefully remove the blade and transfer any dough on it to the work surface. Form the dough into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

After chilling, the dough can be rolled out on floured work surface until it is a 1/8 inch thick circle. Carefully fold the dough into quarters, place in tart pan, and unfold to fit (this eliminates any stretching of the dough). Press the dough into the pan and sides. It is now ready for the filling.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup pecan pieces, coarsely chopped

Set a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. For the filling, place the pumpkin in a bowl and whisk in the eggs. Whisk in the 2/3 cup sugar, then the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and buttermilk. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with pecans and sugar.

Bake the tart until the dough is baked through and the filling is set, 30-35 minutes. Cool the tart on a rack. Keep the tart at a cool room temperature, loosely wrapped in plastic, on the day it is baked. Wrap and refrigerate leftovers and bring them to room temperature before serving again.

Yield: One 10-or 11-inch tart, about 10 servings.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream (The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Just before serving, combine the cream, sugar, and cinnamon. Whip until a soft peak forms.

Chef Mark’s Southern Comfort Apple Pie (recipe from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

Crust: (This is such an easy pie crust recipe…its a breeze to roll out)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, and sugar on low speed about 30 seconds. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine on low speed 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture looks crumbly, with bits of dough the size of peas. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing on low speed for 10 seconds after each addition. After the last addition, the dough should begin to clump together in a ball. If it doesn’t, continue mixing about 10 seconds longer. If it still looks too dry, add an additional tablespoon ice water. Gently mold the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. While it chills, you can make the topping, chop apples, and make the apple filling.  When ready, transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface. Roll it into a 1/8 inch thick circle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. To keep the dough from sticking, gently pick it up periodically as you roll it and and rotate it in place, adding more flour underneath if necessary. Wrap the dough lightly over the rolling pin and set it in the ungreased pie plate. Press it into place and use your fingers or a fork to crimp the outside edges.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter

To make the topping, preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Coarsely chop the nuts.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process both sugars, the cinnamon, salt, and flour for about 1 minute. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the sugar-flour mixture. Pulse about 10 to 15 times, until the mixture is crumbly. Sitr in the pecans. Refrigerate the toping, covered, in a medium bowl until ready to use.

Apple Filling:

• 5 to 6 medium-size tart apples, such as Braeburn, Cortland, or Winesap
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Southern Comfort liqueur
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the apples and saute for 5-8 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle it on the apples and stir to combine. Simmer the apples over medium-low heat for about 1 minute longer. Remove the apples from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet as possible. Transfer the apples to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer (If heaped in a pile, the hot apples will steam-cook and become soggy). Pour the Southern Comfort into the butter-sugar mixture in the skillet. Simmer the mixture over medium heat at least 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off (carefully sniff the mixture at close range; if it burns the insides of your nose, the vapors are still burning off). Add the cream and continue cooking about 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is as thick as pourable caramel. Return the apples to the skillet.

Pour the apple filling into the pie crust and sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is brown. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.

• 1 recipe Flaky Pie/Tart dough, baked and cooled in a 9-or 9 1/2-inch tart pan

Filling:

• 5 cups (20 ounces) fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 medium orange
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To make the filling: Coarsely chop half the cranberries by hand with a chef’s knife or with a few pulses in the bowl of a food processor (the food processor method is much, much faster. Trust me). In a medium bowl, combine the chopped cranberries, whole cranberries, sugar, orange zest, flour, and cinnamon and stir to blend well. Use a spatula to scrape the filling into the cooled tart shell.

To mix the topping: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cold butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture begins to form clumbs the size of small peas (some will still look a little sandy, which is fine). Cover the filling evenly with the topping.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the fruit is soft and bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack, making sure you hold the pan by the sides and not by the bottom (the hot tart pan may come apart that way).  Cool for 20 minutes before serving, or cool completely, then reheat just before serving.

To serve: Place the tart pan on top of a large can from your pantry so that the bottom balances midair as the rim falls to the counter. Use a large metal spatula to transfer the tart to a serving plate or simply leave the bottom of the tart pan under the tart for support. Use a thin, sharp knife to cut the tart.

Yield: 1 9-inch/9 1/2-inch tart, serving 8 to 10