If you’ve never had the mixture of meringue and mousse before, give these a try. When meringues rest overnight surrounded by mousse, they soften and become slightly chewy. The combination of the smooth creamy mousse and the light chewiness of the meringue give these rich little gems an amazing texture. There are two overnight steps to create these, one to dry the meringues and one to soften them. Get as creative as you want with the piping for the tops. You can make something as simple as a kiss, or make a masterpiece. There’s enough extra meringue and mousse to play with, and to allow for sampling! You can also make this into three 8” rounds, plus the top design, if you want one large dessert (increase baking time at 275 to about an hour). I used to make this for a restaurant called the Old Mill Inn.

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Very rich and sophisticated, this tart will impress even your mother-in-law. It’s actually not hard at all. There are a number of layers, but each layer is very simple to produce. My dad proclaimed it better than key lime pie. If you knew how much my dad loves key lime pie, you would understand just how big a statement this is. Serve this for brunch, tea, social clubs, or as a special dessert anytime. The almond taste is very pronounced.

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Mascarpone is an extremely rich creamy cheese from Italy that has been gathering more and more of a following in the USA. It’s the main ingredient of Tiramisu, and is the reason for its smooth richness. It used to be hard to find, but now almost every grocery store carries it. You can find it in tubs with the gourmet meats and cheeses. I decided to make these tarts as a Valentine’s Day treat. Since fresh berries are very expensive in February, I made them with frozen berries. You can use frozen black cherries, strawberries, or any berry you can find. I only own 3 of the heart-shaped springform pans, so I just make 3 of the shells at a time. You can use any tart pans you like, or you can make this into a couple of larger tarts. The recipe can also be halved.

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Here are the tarts that tempt you from the top of the page. This is your chance to get creative! Each one can be different from the next one. Have star fruit and kiwi on one for a mini tropical vacation, or use different kinds of berries for a more classical tart. If you don’t own that many tart pans, you can bake them in shifts. The shells freeze very well, just pull them out and fill them when you want them. For easy transport, buy large pizza boxes from the neighborhood pizzeria. It’s fun to offer to bring dessert for a dinner party, then show up with a stack of pizza boxes. You’ll get puzzled looks at first, then laughs when your host opens them. These are so pretty that people will have trouble believing you didn’t buy them from a restaurant.

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