Decorative Pate Brisee Recipes

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.

PATE BRISèE LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Stamp shapes with a 1 1/2-to-2-inch maple-leaf or other decorative leaf cutter. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate 15 minutes. Using the back of a knife or edge of a small offset spatula, score "veins" in leaves; refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Brush leaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake, banging sheet halfway through (to flatten leaves), until evenly golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Leaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

PATE BRISEE FOR SAVORY AND SWEET PIES

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.)

PATE BRISEE FOR PIES AND TARTS

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl). Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips). 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.)

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 FOR MRS. DUNLINSON'S PLATE CAKES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water, in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into two equal parts. Flatten each ball into a disk; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Sieve flour and add salt and sugar
• Add butter and use your fingertips to mix it qickly into fine lumbs
• Add the egg and mix well without overkneading
• Add flour if dough is too moist
• Wrap in cling foil and rest in fridge for an hour

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.

PâTE BRISéE

Steps:

• In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, salt, butter, and shortening on low speed until crumbly. With the machine running, add 2 tablespoons cold water and the egg. Beat just until the dough comes together in large clumps.
• Divide the dough in half and press each half into a 1-inch-thick round disk. Wrap each tightly in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. Alternatively, the dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• For each crust, on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of dough into a 10-inch round. Carefully transfer the dough to an 8-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing the dough gently against the bottom and up the sides. If necessary, trim the edges against the rim.
• Line the dough with foil, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Freeze overnight, or until very hard.
• To blind bake a tart shell, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Bake the frozen crust until the edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans. Poke holes all over the bottom of the crust with a fork, then return to the oven. Bake until the bottom is set and the crust is blonde, about 8 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack.

DECORATIVE PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Sprinkle butter evenly over top. Pulse until mixture resembles fine meal. Drizzle 5 tablespoons water over mixture. Pulse several times to combine. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture holds together when pinched.
• Shape dough into two disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in refrigerator before using).