Fruit tarts make a lovely, tasty dessert during the summer, in no small part because fresh fruit and berries are incredibly beautiful and the presentation is hard to beat. The fresh fruit choices for tarts don't have to be limited to raspberries and strawberries, as Fanny from Food Beam illustrates with her stunning Mango Tart, which was derived from Bill Granger's recipe in Sydney Food. The tart has a crumbly shortcrust base, almost like a shortbread biscuit, and is filled with a creamy, vanilla custard. The fresh, ripe mangoes are sliced into thin strips and layered on top, their flavor blending with the smooth custard and their texture contrasting nicely with the shell of the tart. Since the tart base can be prepared in advance, this is a relatively simple dessert that would make a lovely addition to any meal on a hot day. And if you can't resist using some more traditional berries, you can easily substitute them for the mango in this recipe.

Alanna, who writes the column (and blog) Kitchen Parade, has done it again. Even after cooking through a whole year's worth of different vegetable recipes, she still can come up with more! This Asparagus Custard Tart, for example, is a gorgeous example of what to do with fresh, spring asparagus. The tart is much lighter than a quiche and not nearly as eggy, though still very satisfying. It has a short, simple list of ingredients that blend together to produce a brilliant dish. Alanna slices it into eighths and serves it with a side salad as a main course, but with a fruit salad it could also make a lovely brunch or item. Don't be put off by the crust, either. If you're pastry-challenged, you can use Pillsbury refrigerated dough.

Egg custard tarts are one of the best things you can get at a good Chinese bakery and a great incentive to go out for dim sum around lunchtime. They have a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust and a tender, eggy filling. I have never before seen them in multiple colors like these tarts that Tien Mao got at the Egg Custard King Cafe in New York. The tarts in the photo are flavored with almond, strawberry, honey dew, and mango, but the cafe offers other varieties, including traditional, banana and egg white, as well. The tarts are only 60-75¢, so be sure to pick up one or two if you're visiting.

[Via Gothamist]