Sweet Essentials Pâte Sucrée French Pastry Recipes

PâTE SUCRéE (SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY)

Steps:

• Place the very soft butter in the bowl of your mixer with the Icing Sugar. Cream with the paddle attachment until smooth; about 2 minutes on medium speed.
• Add in the whisked Egg and Almond Meal. Mix on low speed until combined.
• Slowly mix in the Flour and Salt, stopping as soon as a rough dough comes together (see note 1).
• Transfer the pastry dough over a large sheet of baking paper and assemble it into a ball. Gently flatten the ball into a disk using your hands and do the "fraisage" (see note 2).
• Cover with a second sheet of baking paper and roll to a thickness of about 4mm (1/8 inch) with a rolling pin (see note 3). Place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it to come back to room temperature for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the baking paper sheets (see note 4) and transfer the pastry over the tart pan.
• Gently slide the pastry along the edges of the pan until it touches the bottom. Press it tightly against the bottom and edges of the pan (but without breaking it) to remove any air pockets. There should be no gaps between the pastry and the pan.
• Remove any excess dough using the rolling pin and/or a small paring knife (see note 5). Use any excess pastry to patch up holes, cracks or irregularities if needed.
• Place in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Dock the pastry (poke the bottom with a fork). Preheat your oven on 160'C/325'F and place the pastry in the freezer in the meantime.
• To par-bake: bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottom feels dry to the touch. Add the filling and finish baking.To fully blind-bake: bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly golden. Leave to cool down completely before adding your choice of filling.

PâTE SUCRéE: FRENCH SWEET PASTRY FOR MINI FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Pulse process flour and confectioner's sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade until combined, 5 to 6 pulses. Add butter; pulse process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 8 to 10 pulses. Add egg; pulse process 5 to 6 times. Mixture will be crumbly. If necessary, add 1 teaspoon cream; pulse process 2 to 3 more times.
• Dump onto piece of parchment paper or other surface. Knead just until dough comes together. (See Note 2).
• Pinch off 1 ounce pieces, about the size of a golf ball. Roll into a ball, and flatten onto a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Cover with piece of parchment paper, and roll 1/8-inch thick. Cut with a 3 1/2-inch round cutter. Gently press into mold; cut away excess dough. Generously prick all over with a fork. (See Note 3)
• Freeze for 20 minutes. (See Note 4)
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely. Yield: 24 mini tart shells.

FLAKY SWEET PASTRY (PATE SUCREE)

Steps:

• Place 1 cup of the flour, the butter, sugar and salt, into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process 10 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the mixture begins to come together (do not let it form a ball). Empty the dough out of the machine onto a floured work surface and gather together by pressing lightly. If the dough seems too sticky, gently incorporate more flour. Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.

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!