Pastry Shell For 11 Fruit Or Quiche Tarts Recipes

SAVOURY SHORTCRUST PASTRY FOR QUICHES AND TARTS

Steps:

• Place the Flour and Salt in the bowl of your Food processor and pulse to mix.
• Add the very cold Butter, cut into small cubes, and slowly pulse to blend it into the flour until you get a thin crumb like consistency.
• While pulsing, slowly add the very cold Water a little bit at the time. Stop as soon as the dough comes together (see note 1) and transfer over a sheet of baking paper on your kitchen bench.
• Assemble the dough into a ball and gently flatten it with your hands. Place a second sheet of baking paper over it, and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
• Roll the Pastry into a large circle (see note 2) about 4mm - 1/8 inch thick. Place the tart pan over it to check it is rolled wide enough to fill it.
• Place the rolled pastry over a flat tray and leave in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
• Remove the two baking sheets and place the rolled pastry inside the Quiche/Tart Pan. Gently slide down the pastry along the sides of the pans, then press it against the pan so that it sticks to it. Remove any excess with a small pairing knife or rolling pin (see note 3).
• Poke the bottom of the pastry with a fork, then place back in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours). Just before baking the pastry, place it in the freezer (for at least 15 minutes) to make sure the butter is extremely cold, almost frozen.
• Bake according to the recipe instructions - either blind-baked for 20 minutes at 180'C/350'F filled with baking paper and baking weights (beads, dried beans, rice etc...) or directly with the filling.

PASTRY SHELL FOR 11" FRUIT OR QUICHE TARTS

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in food processor bowl. Add butter slices. Process, using rapid on/off pulces until mixture resembles small particles.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of water; process a couple seconds more. Add other Tablespoon water; pulse again The dough should be damp enough to form a rough mass. Add a few more drops of water if necessary.
• Roll dough out onto a generously floured work surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into shape of tart pan and transfer to pan, patting some of the overhang in around the edge to make the sides of the shell thicker than the bottom. Trim off remaining overhang. The quiche/tart is now ready to be filled and baked.

TART SHELL

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle. Slowly add egg yolks, beaten egg half, and vanilla. Add flour and mix until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, unwrap and roll on a floured surface into a 3/8-inch thick circle. Drape into an 11 or 12-inch tart pan and press into corners. Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until light brown. While still warm, remove weights and parchment paper and brush slightly with a beaten egg white, taking care not to use too much and to only brush the inside of the shell. Let tart shell rest at room temperature until ready to fill.;

QUICHE TARTS

Steps:

• Chop up the bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp.
• Combine the rest of ingredients in a bowl.
• Sprinkle cooked bacon onto bottom of tart shells, and top each tart with egg mixture.
• Bake at 350°F until browned.

MINI QUICHE LORRAINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Arrange tart shells in 2 muffin tins; line shell each with a layer of pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake shells in the preheated oven until edges of crusts are lightly browned and about 75% cooked, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels; crumble when cooled.
• Divide 1 cup Swiss cheese, bacon, and green onions evenly into the tart shells.
• Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl. Ladle egg mixture into each tart shell about 2/3 full. Top each tart with the remaining 1/4 cup Swiss cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until egg is set in the middle of each tart and shells are browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

QUICHE SARDOU

Steps:

• Pulse butter, salt, and 1 1/4 cups flour in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add 1/4 cup ice water; pulse 1-2 times just until moistened. Turn out dough and gather into a ball, kneading once or twice. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to an 11" round. Press into bottom and up sides of tart pan; trim excess. Prick bottom of shell all over with a fork and freeze 10 minutes.
• Line shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is nearly dry, about 30 minutes.
• Beat egg yolk with 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl just to combine. Remove parchment and pie weights and brush bottom and sides of shell lightly with egg yolk mixture. Return to oven and continue baking until lightly golden, about 25 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Cook spinach and 2 Tbsp. water in a large skillet, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer spinach to a colander; reserve skillet. Drain spinach, pressing out excess liquid, then coarsely chop.
• Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add artichokes and cook, stirring, until warmed through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in chopped spinach and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture into crust.
• Whisk eggs, cream, and milk in a medium bowl and pour over vegetable mixture. Bake quiche until set and lightly golden, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Crust can be baked 1 day ahead; let cool and store tightly wrapped at room temperature. Filling can be prepared 1 day ahead; keep chilled. Return to room temperature before filling crust.

BASIC SHORT-CRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.
• To roll, lightly flour dough and counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.
• Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching). Lay dough loosely into a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, letting it relax a bit. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. Refrigerate or freeze for an hour before pre-baking.