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Gently peel off the plastic wrap and use a rubber spatula to spread the pastry cream into the prebaked, cooled tart crust.

Arrange the berries and/or strawberries over the top of the tart, working in circles and standing the berries up on their larger flat ends.

Place the jelly and water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the jelly melts. Use a pastry brush or feather to paint the berries or fruit on top of the cream with jelly until glistening.

Variations: Substitute 1 tablespoon gold or white rum for the water in the glaze.

Omit the jelly and water; dust the top of the tart with confectioners’ sugar, sifted through a fine-mesh sieve.

For a smoother pastry cream, beat ½ cup cold heavy cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light, soft, fluffy, and moundable; fold this into the chilled pastry cream before spreading it into the pastry shell.

Banana Cream Tart: Thinly slice 2 ripe bananas and lay the slices over the bottom of the baked, cooled crust. Spoon and spread the cooled pastry cream over the bananas, then either shave semisweet chocolate over the cream or grate nutmeg lightly over it. (Omit the berries, jelly, and water.)

Easy Lemon Tart

Three steps and you’re done!

Makes one 10-inch tart

Lemon Curd Filling

1 prebaked, cooled tart crust made from Sweet Pastry Dough in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom Sweetened Whipped Cream

Spread the warm Lemon Curd Filling into the tart crust.

Set plastic wrap right onto the curd to seal it, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Gently peel off the plastic wrap, then spoon and spread Sweetened Whipped Cream over the tart just before serving.

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Removing the Removable Bottom

Once the tart crust has been baked, filled, and chilled, slip the sides off the tart pan by placing one hand on the bottom of the tart pan and gently pushing up; the tart on the removable bottom should slip free of the shell’s collar.

Place the tart with its bottom directly on a cake plate or serving platter—or go the extra step of taking the tart off the removable bottom. Run a long, very thin knife between the bottom of the crust and the pan, working all the way around to loosen the crust. Tip the tart and the bottom at a slight angle and slip the tart onto a serving platter.

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Chocolate Silk Tart

This luscious chocolate filling is a cross between mousse and fudge. Makes one 10-inch tart

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

13 tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 tablespoons gold or white rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 prebaked, cooled tart crust made from Sweet Pastry Dough in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon superfine or granulated sugar

Place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 1 inch of simmering water. Alternatively, place it in a medium bowl that fits securely over a medium saucepan with a similar amount of simmering water in it. Adjust the heat so the water simmers gently; stir until half the chocolate has melted.

Remove the top half of the double boiler or the bowl from the heat; continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the butter, brown sugar, and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition and making sure it is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the rum and vanilla until smooth.

Beat in the melted chocolate; continue beating until very smooth and somewhat thick, about 5 minutes. Spoon and spread into the prebaked, cooled tart crust. Refrigerate until chilled, for at least 2 hours or overnight. (After 2 hours, cover the tart with plastic wrap to protect it from any refrigerator