Puff Pastry

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Donna Hay's book,Instant Entertaining.

We're taking the highway to French elegance with these stacked desserts. Unsweetened whipped cream is a wonderful foil for gooey caramelized pears and flaky puff pastry.

When tomatoes are at their peak, I could eat them three times a day and straight from the vine. But every once in a while, it's nice to give them a little special attention. When that time comes, this is the recipe I turn to. It's a tartlet that looks like it takes all day to make, but is really a quickie. It's warmed in the oven for such a short time that the tomatoes never lose their fresh-picked taste and texture. I serve these as a first course at dinner or with a salad as the main event at lunch.

All-butter puff pastry is available at some specialty foods stores.

Jacques Maximin claims he never served these tartes fines aux pommes at Chantecler restaurant at the famed Hôtel Négresco. Jacques Torres, Maximin’s pastry chef for eight years, insists they were consistently on the menu. All that matters to us, though, is that the classic combination of warm apple and flaky pastry becomes new again in these light, simple tarts.

Paul Bocuse believes a great chef will invent only two dishes in his entire career; his own truffle soup with pastry "hats" will forever be known as his signature creation. Our version retains all the theater of the billowy dome of puff pastry and the richness of the flavors but substitutes mushroom consommé laced with morels and snips of fresh chives for the opulence of truffles and foie gras.

Frozen puff pastry helps these come together easily, and the tart goat cheese cream balances their richness. If you can't find sour cherries, double the amount of sweet ones and up the lemon juice to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Frozen puff pastry makes a quick and easy crust for this modern take on pizza.

Cooking the curry powder with the vegetables mellows its flavor.

Crème fraîche—a French heavy cream that's slightly sour—can be found in the dairy section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Look for a dark honey, such as forest honey, which is available at specialty foods stores and from kalustyans.com. WHAT TO DRINK: Try the 2004 Château Grillon, a delicious Sauternes that won't break the bank (France, $19 for 375 ml).

From chef Alex Seidel at Fruition Restaurant in Denver, a beautiful tarte Tatin with plums standing in for the apples. This can also be served with vanilla ice cream instead of the orange crème fraîche.

These ice cream sandwiches are made with baked puff pastry squares instead of cookies. Make them at least an hour ahead so the ice cream has time to firm up.

Frozen puff pastry makes an instant crust for sautéed apples.

Palmer wanders out behind the Dry Creek Kitchen to pick the apples for this tart. He generally goes for a combination of Macouns, Pippins, and/or Gravensteins, but we used easy-to-find Golden Delicious and were very pleased with the results. Palmer likes to serve this French classic warm, with a scoop of chestnut ice cream and crisp strips of candied bacon alongside. The three elements make for a textural symphony, but this caramelized beauty is also fantastic paired with a humble scoop of store-bought vanilla — or even by itself.

Classic taste, new look. The borders puff up beautifully to keep the filling in place.

These beef pies make an immensely satisfying meal or snack on the go. The ready-to-use puff pastry bakes up golden and flaky—the perfect accompaniment to the rich, meaty filling.