Tarts, Pies, Cobblers, and Crisps

It is a common misconception that a tart is a European type of pie, or nothing more than a pie with a fancy name. Pies and tarts do have some similarities. They are both made of a crust and a filling, and they are usually baked in a metal tin. However, the baking pan itself sets the two apart. Tart pans are not as deep as pie pans, so they hold less filling, they have almost straight sides, the sides are usually fluted, and the pans do not have a lip. A tart is removed in one piece from the baking pan. A pie, on the other hand, is cut and served from the baking pan. Because of its fragile crust and large, mounded filling, it cannot be unmolded. Because a pie will fall apart if you try to take it out of the pan whole, pie pans have slanted sides to make serving easier. In most cases, pies are made with a double crust, and tarts with a single, but, actually, both can be made either way, and many of the tart and pie recipes in this chapter can be made in either style of pan. Some tarts are also made free-form and do not use a pan.