For dessert, the sour cherry strudel was very good indeed: a layer of juicy tart cherries encased in a rich, flaky pastry crust flavored with nuts, lemon peel and lots of cinnamon.
Each slice revealed a translucent section of pear within and a bright red layer of raspberry jam underneath, tart enough to make the dessert sweet but not cloying.
It had a crisp filo texture without, but, inside, it was all soft, billowing furls of pastry (boiled briefly, so it has the consistency of sheets of lasagne), around a good layer of that pleasingly dry, tart sheep's feta.
Among several memorable desserts were the bittersweet chocolate cake with almond crust (a layer of pure marzipan) in a pool of tart raspberry sauce, and a luscious Napoleon of fresh strawberries and orange mascarpone layered in crisp macademia nut wafers.
Tartes flambees, the thin-crusted pizzas of Alsace, are offered in several varieties, including an orthodox cheese, onion and bacon tart smeared with a layer of creme fraiche, and a wild-card tart topped with wasabi and bluefin tuna.
Mr. Schillinger also makes a place on his menu for tartes flambees, the thin-crust pizzas of his native Alsace, but side by side with an orthodox cheese, onion and bacon tart smeared with a layer of creme fraiche, he offers a wild-card tart topped with wasabi and bluefin tuna.
Pour a ½-inch-thick layer of filling into the chilled tart crust.
Not in their original, austere incarnation, but vamped up with a slick of tart cherry jam, a thick layer of luscious dark chocolate ganache, and a salty sprinkle of fleur de sel.
I preferred the refreshing pre-dessert of tart Granny Smith sorbet between layers of dried apples, and six complimentary sweets, including a zingy cream of passion fruit.
A cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate-chip cookie is a marvel of crunchy gooeyness; pumpkin-blondie pie has the rich density of cookie dough; the chocolate-chip cake, layered with passionfruit curd, is an inspired combination of tart and sweet.
