Pansy Tartlets Recipes

PATE BRISEE FOR PANSY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8 seconds. Add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow stream through feed tube. Pulse until mixture holds together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, until dough holds together when squeezed.
• Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a desk, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, the ground almonds, and cinnamon. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture becomes a slightly stiff dough.
• Shape the dough into a ball; divide it in half. Wrap both halves in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a sheet 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles from the sheet as you can. Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball and roll it out again into a 1/8 inch sheet. Cut out more circles. You should now have about 12 circles.
• Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Refrigerate while working with remaining dough.
• Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough, but after placing the second batch on the baking sheet, cut out the center of each circle with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Spread a thin coating of jam on each of the cookie rounds. Set a cutout cookie on top of each, pressing the two together so they make a sandwich. Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

BERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Divide Pate Brisee into quarters. Roll one piece of dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick.
• Line up twelve 3-inch tartlet pans; place dough loosely over pans. Fit dough into tartlet pans using another tartlet pan to press indentations; roll tops with a rolling pin to cut dough from edges. Chill the shells at least 30 minutes before baking. Repeat with remaining three quarters of dough. Shells can be lined with a second tartlet pan to prevent shrinkage when baking, or with a small piece of foil filled with dried beans.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake shells until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove top pan or foil, place on a rack, and allow to cool completely.
• Fill each tartlet with 1 tablespoon pastry cream. Top with fresh berries, and serve.