If you want to impress your guests with minimalism, here’s the ticket: a crust with a little sweetened cream on it. Ridiculously simple but—like a simple sugar cookie—enormously enjoyable. And be assured that this and the variation are traditional recipes. This is best with good, thick heavy cream, not ultrapasteurized. It’s worth a trip to a nearby farm or farmers’ market if that’s possible.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 8 servings

　　1 Sweet Tart Pastry (page 654)

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1 1/2 cups heavy or sour cream

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. After refrigerating the dough, prick it all over with a fork. Combine the sugar and cream and spread the mixture over the bottom of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

　　

Step 2

Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes; cool completely before serving.

　　

Tarte au Sucre

Step 3

Use 1/2 cup brown sugar creamed with 1 egg and 2 tablespoons butter. Omit the cream and cinnamon and proceed as directed.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.