Even quiches - which are essentially the same as savory tarts - are seen as more sophisticated. While pies and quiches are baked in deep sloped pans and require more filling, tarts are baked in inch-tall pans with straight sides. A tart's short stature means the ratio of filling to crust is lower. This, with the tart's removable sides, makes unmolding easier and opens up a world of possibilities in terms of presentation.
Their portability makes tarts ideal for a potluck or buffet. And because the ingredients can be prepared ahead and assembled and baked at the last minute, they ease the pressure when entertaining.
Their presentation can be formal or casual; serve them in the baking pan or unmold and plate.
Their ingredients can be rich or light: Make them with whole eggs or just yolks, use milk or cream, meat or vegetables. They can be as simple as phyllo dough brushed with pesto or sauce and topped with cheese and caramelized onions.
Many cookbooks suggest partially blind-baking the crust, brushing the inside of the shell with an egg-milk glaze and returning the crust to the oven and baking until lightly browned to get a crisp pastry shell.
Malgieri never partially bakes a crust that has a filling requiring baking.
He uses baking powder in sweet and savory pie dough and always bakes tarts and pies on the lowest rack of the oven.
"I always use a dough that's a little lower in fat than the typical pie dough," he said. "Baking powder in the dough makes it expand slightly during baking and maintain contact with the bottom of the pan [flaky doughs with a lot of butter in them can shrink and lose contact with the pan], ensuring that the crust bakes through well. Most of all, always bake a pie or tart that's filled before baking on the lowest rack of the oven for good bottom heat."
Malgieri's other recommendations, culled from his cookbooks:
