I Have a Lemon Tree’s Fig Tart with Pistachio Lemon Crust

PIE-A-DAY #74

This recipe comes to us from Gillian Ferguson, a Producer for Good Food as well as all around food enthusiast, maintaining her blog I Have a Lemon Tree.

Evan and I have discussed this many times. There is pie and there are tarts. Pies and tarts share the same foundation and often the same fillings. So what’s the difference? I asked Evan to weigh in…

I just want to say this out loud for all to hear. Yes, there is a difference between a Pie and a Tart. Yes, they both have a crust filled with goodness but the similarity ends there. A Pie is a homey thing. A tart is visually more spare and elegant and often much richer. The filling to dough ratio is smaller. A typical tart pan is about 1 inch deep. It’s curves are meant to help support a crust that is rich, sometimes sandier and often sweeter than a typical pie dough. There is a greater surface area in a tart (if there is no top crust). You could have a mini ice skater zoom around on top. This surface is often put to good use in making the filling quite beautiful. I’m sure we’ll have some arguments about this. But, for me, a Pie is a Pie and isn’t a Tart.

Alas, this is indeed a tart. For the full recipe and post, visit Gillian’s Blog: I Have A Lemon Tree.