Recipe: Tart Pastry

Recipe

Tart Pastry

Used in this recipe: Prune Tart in Almond Custard

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
A mixture of 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons water

Makes one 9-inch tart shell.

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a bowl, then work into the butter with two knives, your fingers, or a mixer until it makes fine crumbs. Don't let it become completely smooth, though. Stir in enough vanilla-water to pull the dough together. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

To line the pan, roll the dough out into a 9-inch circle, then set it in the pan. Using the heel of your palm, press the dough up the side. If some pieces are too long, break them off and add them as needed to areas that are too short. The sides should be about 1/4 inch thick and underbaked. Carefully set the tart shell in the freezer to harden.

Tart shells are nearly always prebaked before filling. To prebake a tart shell, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the frozen shell on a sheet pan and bake until set and lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Check it several times for swells and prick any large bubbles with the tip of a knife.

from:
Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone
by Deborah Madison
Published by Broadway Books;
October 8, 1997; 752 pages
Hardcover; $35-00 if purchased by January 1; $40.00 after
ISBN: 0-7679-0014-6
Reprinted by permission.