Saveur introduces a Tuscan grandmother who boils water outdoors, over burning vines; smoke from the fire infuses the water with authentic flavors. In Bon Appetit, 30-somethings Todd and Buffy invite friends into their kitchen in Savannah for one of their celebrated "Water Boiling Parties." At Food & Wine, artists dressed in black boil water in their Greenwich Village loft over a Bunsen burner. And at Cook's Illustrated, the editors boil quart after carefully measured quart of water in 12 different saucepans over several different heat sources — they try multiple brands of bottled water, too — until they come up with the perfect recipe for boiling water.

What would happen if those magazines took a spin on how to make the latest versions of pumpkin or pecan pie for this year's Thanksgiving dinner? You need go only as far as your local news stand to find out. Every November, they reinvent the wheel, fulfilling our expectations to deliver the familiar, and surprising us with new twists on our old favorites.

Most home cooks can probably relate. Every Thanksgiving, The Big Meal has to be pulled together once again. Personally, I like to tweak the menu now and then, delivering foods that are recognizable facsimiles of the traditional favorites, just new enough to wake us from our turkey-induced stupor.

Dessert especially invites invention. For some die-hard traditionalists, Frenchified tarts, which are wider, shallower and generally more flavorful than pies, may be too fancy for their own good. But if you ask me, a tart is more exciting than a pie. And these two tarts, modeled after a couple of well-known pies, strike the perfect balance between the exotic and the familiar.

Makes one 12-inch tart It's important that the nuts in this tart be spread out in a single layer so they'll crisp as they cook. If you don't have a shallow, round tart pan, use a 9-by-12-inch rectangular pan instead of a regular pie pan. Butter pastry, recipe follows ½ cup pecans ½ cup walnuts ½ cup pine nuts ½ cup macadamia nuts or pistachio nuts 3 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 cup sugar 1 cup dark corn syrup 2 tablespoons walnut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans, walnuts, pine nuts and macadamias or pistachios onto the unbaked butter pastry in the tart pan. 2. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the corn syrup, the walnut oil, the vanilla and the salt. Pour this mixture over the nuts. 3. Bake the pie until it is browned and beginning to puff up, about 45 minutes. When it's ready, a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the tart on a rack for at least 1 hour before serving. 4. Remove the sides of the two-part tart pan and use a long metal spatula to free the bottom crust from the pan and transfer the tart to a serving plate. Serve at room temperature with cinnamon ice cream or dollops of fresh whipped cream. Copyright Greg Atkinson, 2004

Makes a single crust Real butter pastry is infinitely better than a crust made with hydrogenated shortening. 1 cup pastry flour ½ cup unsalted butter ½ teaspoon salt 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water 1. In a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; leave some chunks of butter about the size of BBs. 2. Transfer the flour-and-butter mixture to a mixing bowl and lightly work in just enough cold water to make the dough come together into a scrappy heap. Do not knead or overwork; it is not necessary to make the dough smooth. 3. Roll the dough into a circle and plant the circle in a two-piece tart pan. Trim the edges of the dough and bake or fill as instructed in the pie recipe. (Note: The pastry may be made several days in advance and kept frozen until just before filling and baking.) Copyright Greg Atkinson, 2004

Makes one 12-inch tart Leave that can of pumpkin on the shelf and get yourself one of those green winter squash known as a kabocha. The Japanese pumpkin delivers better texture and more flavor than anything in a can. 1 medium-sized (2-pound) kabocha squash 3 large eggs ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup heavy cream Additional heavy cream, whipped as an accompaniment 1. Cut the squash into wedges, scrape out the seeds, then cut away the peel. Cut the peeled and seeded squash into 1-inch dice. You should have about 6 cups of cubed squash. 2. Pile the cubed squash into a steamer basket. Put the basket into a 1-gallon stockpot and pour in a cup of water. Steam the squash over high heat until it is tender, about 10 minutes. Put the steamed squash in a food processor and purée until smooth. (Note: The squash purée may be made in advance and kept refrigerated for a day or two before making the pie.) 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the puréed steamed squash in a mixing bowl with the eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt and cream. Pour the filling into the pastry-lined tart pan and bake until the filling is puffed and the edges of the filling are beginning to crack, about 40 minutes. 4. Cool the tart slightly before removing the sides of the tart pan. Serve warm or at room temperature with scoops of ice cream or dollops of fresh whipped cream. Copyright Greg Atkinson, 2004