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CARAMEL NUT TART All-butter pastry dough (recipe follows) 3 cups pie weights or raw rice for weighting shell 1 1/2 cups pecans (about 6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups walnuts (about 6 ounces) 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) ACCOMPANIMENTS: Ginger ice cream (recipe follows) Cinnamon nutmeg tuiles (recipe follows) Preheat oven to 400°F.

Between 2 sheets of wax paper roll out dough into a 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Transfer dough to a baking sheet and chill 10 minutes. Lift top sheet of wax paper from dough and gently replace on top (this will facilitate removal of paper later). Flip dough over, discarding wax paper now on top, and carefully invert dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Lightly press dough up side of rim, using pieces from overhang to patch any holes. Chill shell 30 minutes, or until firm.

Line shell with foil, folding over edge to cover pastry entirely, and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell on a baking sheet in middle of oven 35 minutes and carefully remove foil and weights or rice. If bottom of crust still has patches of translucent undercooked dough, return shell to oven without foil and weights or rice and bake until pastry is completely cooked and golden, 3 to 5 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

Reduce temperature to 350°F.

Coarsely chop nuts. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and honey, stirring, and simmer 1 minute. Stir in nuts and cream. Simmer mixture 1 minute and pour into shell. Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until filing is a few shades darker. Cool tart in pan on rack.

Chop chocolate and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Cool chocolate slightly and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip (slightly smaller than 1/8 inch). (Alternatively, transfer chocolate to a small heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Squeeze chocolate into one corner of bag and with scissors cut a tiny slice off corner to form a small hole.) Pipe thin lines of chocolate over art in a back and forth motion to form stripes. Tart may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Serve caramel tart chilled or at room temperature with ice cream and tuiles.

Serve 8 to 10.

ALL-BUTTER PASTRY DOUGH

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water

Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes.

TO BLEND BY HAND: In a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Drizzle 1 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary add enough remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)

TO BLEND IN A FOOD PROCESSOR: In a food processor pulse together flour, sugar, salt, and butter until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add 1 tablespoon ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times, or just until incorporated. Text mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary add enough remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 2 or 3 times after each addition until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overprocess mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)

TO FORM DOUGH AFTER BLENDING BY EITHER METHOD: Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with a pastry scraper and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 1 day.

Makes enough dough for an 11-inch tart or a single-crust 9-inch pie.

In a large bowl lightly whisk yolks. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook sugar, fresh gingerroot, and water over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add half-and-half and bring to a simmer. Add hot half-and-half mixture to yolks in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let boil.)

Pour custard through a sieve into cleaned bowl and stir in cream and vanilla. Cool custard. Chill custard, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day.

Finely chop crystallized ginger. Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker, adding crystallized ginger three fourths of way through freezing process. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

Makes about 1 quart.

CINNAMON NUTMEG TUILES

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°F and have ready a rolling pin.

In a saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until smooth.

Drop 6 rounded 1/2-teaspoons batter about 3 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies in middle of oven 6 minutes, or until golden.

Remove 1 cookie from baking sheet with a thin metal spatula and immediately drape over a rolling pin to create a curved shape. Cool cookie completely on rolling pin and transfer to an airtight container. Make more cookies with remaining batter and form into tuiles in same manner. (If cookies become too brittle to drape over rolling pin, return baking sheet to oven a few seconds to allow cookies to soften.) Tuiles keep 5 days in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

Makes about 20 tuiles.

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