TIP OF THE DAY THANKSGIVING: Mini Tartlets Instead Of Pies

November 5, 2012 at 8:32 am · Filed under Cookies-Cake-Pastry, Thanksgiving & Fall, Tip Of The Day

No one is hungry at the end of Thanksgiving dinner, but everyone wants that piece of pumpkin pie or pecan pie—or both.

Here’s a solution: Instead of a pie, serve mini tartlets. One mini tartlet can satisfy, for a fraction of the tummy space and calories of a piece of pie or full-size tart.

While many sources do not make this distinction, a tart is different from a tartlet, which is different from a mini tartlet. The difference is the size; to call everything a tart or every individual size a tarlet is ambiguous.

TART. A tart is a multi-portion dessert, made in a fluted pan with a removable bottom, typically 8, 9, 10 or 11 inches in diameter. The sides are thicker than a pie and the tart can stand on its own outside of the pan; hence the removable bottom that allows the tart to be removed to a serving plate. As with a pie, it is sliced into individual portions. (More on the difference between pies and tarts.)

These mini tartlets are made in a phyllo crust instead of the conventional shortbread crust. Photo courtesy MyRecipes.com; here‘s the recipe.

TARTLET. A tartlet is an individual-size tart, typically 4 to 4.75 inches in diameter. The bottom may or may not be removable.

MINI TARTLET. A mini-tartlet is a bite-size tartlet, approximately 1.75 inches in diameter, made in mini tartlet pans. The bottom is not removable but it’s easy to lift out the pastry.

The same pans can be used to make quiche.

Our favorite holiday time-saver is to use two NIBBLE Top Picks Of The Week: the delicious mini tartlet shells from Clearbrook Farms filled with the wonderful pecan-pie-in-a-jar from San Saba River Pecan Company. (This is also one of our favorite party favors and small gifts—we order it by the case.)

You can also fill the mini-tartlets with pumpkin, apple or other favorite.

If you want to make your mini tarts from scratch, here are two recipes:

Pecan Sweet Potato Tartlets

Pecan Cream Cheese Mini Tartlets

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