Sweet Essentials Pâte Sucrée French Pastry Recipes

PâTE SUCRéE - FRENCH SWEET TART CRUST (PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• Mix Dy Ingredients: Whisk together flour, icing sugar, salt and almond meal in a bowl.
• Add butter: Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. (Note 4).
• Add egg: Mix with a rubber spatula until it becomes too hard to stir anymore, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
• Bring dough together: Turn dough out onto a work surface, then knead to bring together into a smooth ball. Flatten into a 2cm / 0.8" thick disc. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Unwrap chilled dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface.
• Roll out into a 32cm / 13" round (3mm / 1/8" thick).
• Line tart tin: Roll pastry lightly on to a rolling pin (ie. so it wraps around itself). Then unroll it gently over the tart tin.
• Fit pastry: Adjust the pastry to fit into the tart tin, fitting into the corner, taking care not to stretch it (causes shrinkage during bake).
• Trim excess dough: Roll the rolling pin over tart tin to trim excess dough. Pictured tart tin is 24 x 3 cm / 9.5 x 1.2" - you can use any up to this size.
• Prick the base of the pastry 30 times with a fork. Not all the way through - just make a light prick on the surface.
• Chill pastry in tart tin for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
• Baking beads: Cover pastry with 2 sheets of baking paper (parchment paper), in a "X" arrangement. Fill with baking beads (or 2 cups dry raw rice or beans).
• Baking times for a Par Baked Tart to be used for tarts that are baked for > 30 minutes once the filling is added into the cooked tart shell.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 5 minutes: Return tart crust to oven for 5 minutes. Pastry should be light golden, crispy on surface, but slighty undercooked inside (will finish cooking once filled and baked again).
• Use these baking times if the tart shell is to be used for raw fillings (ie tart not baked once crust is filled) OR fillings that are baked for < 25 minutes.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 10 minutes: This will fully cook the pastry through and give it nice colour which we need as the pastry won't cook through in less than 25 minutes once filled.
• Cool: Remove then cool in tart tin before filling (this ensures crust stays crispy once filled), then baking again if filling needs to be cooked (like this Pistachio Frangipane Pear Tart).
• Make ahead up to 3 days, suitable for baking once filled.

PâTé SUCRéE: FRENCH SWEET PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with bits of butter no larger than peas. (Alternatively, you can process the mixture on pulse mode in a food processor .)
• Add the egg yolks and continue blending with the pastry cutter (or pulse in the processor) until the eggs are evenly incorporated and the mixture resembles a fine meal.
• Stir in the ice water with a fork, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is just moistened enough to gather and mold into a smooth ball. (Or, with the food processor running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the mixture forms a dough.)
• Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a smooth disc. Wrap with plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you prefer.
• Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit in the tart pan . Lift and turn the dough as you work, keeping the work surface dusted with flour to prevent sticking.
• Lay the dough in the tart pan and press it firmly against the sides and bottom without stretching it.
• Trim off any excess dough.
• Cover and chill the dough in the pan for at least 30 minutes before filling and baking.
• To pre-bake the empty tart shell, prick the dough all over with a fork. Cover lightly with foil and bake at 375 F / 190 C for 15 minutes.
• Remove the foil, and continue baking until barely colored for a partially baked shell or golden brown for a fully baked shell.
• Use in your favorite tart recipe and enjoy!

SWEET ESSENTIALS: PâTE SUCRéE (FRENCH PASTRY)

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• To successfully make this recipe, all the ingredients need to be kept cold. One trick that I use is to put the flour in the freezer for an hour or so. In addition, the bowl you are going to use, and the tart pan, should be in the freezer until needed.
• To bake, I am using a tart pan with a removable bottom, 9-inches (23cm) in diameter.
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Cube the butter, and then put into the refrigerator to keep cool until needed.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla paste and ice water, then place into the refrigerator, until needed.
• Add the cold flour, almonds, salt, and sugar together in a food processor fitted with an S-blade, and pulse a few times to combine.
• Toss in the cold butter cubes.
• Give the mixture a few 1-second pulses until the butter is broken up into pea-sized bits, about 6 - 7 pluses.
• Add the mixture to a bowl... preferably a cold bowl.
• Add a tablespoon of the egg/ice water mixture, and lightly toss with a fork.
• Continue to add the liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until you can pinch a bit of the dough, and it holds together.
• Chef's Note: It will be a bit shaggy, but that is what you want.
• Toss out onto a lightly-floured surface.
• Using the heel of your hand, knead the dough a few times, to get the butter incorporated into the flour. About six or seven times. Then bring it together into a shaggy ball
• Flatten it out, wrap in some cling foil, and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the fridge, and place it on a piece of lightly-floured parchment paper.
• Add a bit of flour to the top of the dough, place another piece of parchment paper on top, and roll out.
• The dough should be bigger in diameter than your tart pan.
• Carefully remove from the parchment, and place into the tart pan. Gently tuck it into the sides, and press into the fluted edges of the pan.
• Chef's Tip: To cut off the excess dough, just use your rolling pin, and run it over the top of the tart pan. Make a perfect cut every time.
• Cover with cling foil and place in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
• Chef's Note: Keep an eye on the time. Do not freeze for more than twenty minutes. We want it firm, not frozen.
• While the dough is cooling, place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 375f (190c).
• Remove dough from the freezer, and dock the bottom crust with a fork. This helps to release steam, and prevents bubbles forming in the crust.
• Place a piece of parchment paper, or foil in the tart, and fill with dry beans, rice, or ceramic pie weights.
• Place on a baking sheet, and blind bake in the preheated oven. Bake until the crust is cooked and beginning to brown, about 20 - 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and let rest for 15 - 20 minutes, before using.
• Chef's Note: The crust can be made a day ahead, and kept, wrapped, in the refrigerator until needed.
• Chef's Tip: The crust is very fragile, so take care. The last thing that you want is for it to break.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Pull out your favorite sweet tart recipe, and go for it. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.