Cornmeal Pate Brisee Recipes

CORNMEAL PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Pulseflour,cornmeal,salt,andsugarinafoodprocessoruntilcombined.Addbutter,andpulseuntilmixtureresemblescoarsecrumbswithsomelargerpiecesremaining,about10seconds.Drizzle1/4cupicewaterevenlyovermixture.Pulseuntilmixturejustbeginstoholdtogetherwhenpressedbetween2fingers(itshouldnotbewetorsticky).Ifdoughistoodry,pulseinwater,1tablespoonatatime.
• Dividedoughinhalf.Wrapinplastic.Shapeintodisks,andrefrigerateuntilfirm,about1hourorovernight.

PATE BRISEE (FRENCH SHORTCRUST)

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add cubed butter; pulse until crumbly.
• Pour slow stream of ice water through feed tube while the processor is on low speed until dough holds together when pinched, making sure not to add too much.
• Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form dough into discs on a lightly floured work surface. Wrap discs with wax paper or parchment paper before wrapping with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until use.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin between 2 pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness when ready to use.
• Butter two 9-inch tart pans. Roll crusts 1 at a time onto the rolling pin and unroll over tart pans. Gently push dough into the prepared pans, molding to the sides. Trim edges with fingers or a knife. Fill and bake according to filling recipe instructions.

PâTE BRISéE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl). Add butter, and pulse (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips) until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse (or mix with a fork) until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse (or mix with a fork).
• Divide dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap. Gather into two balls, wrap loosely in plastic, and press each into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, well wrapped in plastic, 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
• Shortening Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces.
• Lard Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold lard. For the best quality, it's worth seeking out leaf lard. You can buy rendered leaf lard from online vendors, or from artisanal butcher shops.
• Cornmeal Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal.
• Cheddar Variation
• Reduce butter to 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) and add 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar to the flour mixture along with the butter. Increase sugar to 1 tablespoon.

PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Place 1 3/4 cups of the flour in a food processor. Add the butter and salt and process until well mixed. Add the egg and oil. Process for 30 seconds, adding more flour as needed if the mixture is too wet. (The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.) Add the ice water and process for another 30 seconds.
• Remove the dough and form into a ball. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready to use, roll out the dough on a lightly floured board.

PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
• Cut in butter until it is the size of large peas.
• Add water tablespoon by tablespoon; knead lightly to form a dough and chill before using.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• To make pastry lids for pies, divide dough into 4 portions and roll each portion into a round 1/8 inch thick. Crumple 16 pieces of foil into large marble-size pieces and spread melted butter over them to prevent pastry from sticking to foil. Place each pastry round on top of 4 pieces of crumpled foil and bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. It may be necessary to turn over the pastries to brown on both sides.

CORNMEAL PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Place the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and process, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, pour the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, until the dough just holds together (do not process for more than 30 seconds).
• Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten each to form a disk. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before using.