Vanilla Bean Sweet Tart Pastry Short Crust Recipes

SWEET TART PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl.
• Toss butter through flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub fat into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size particles of fat.
• Empty crumbs onto a cool surface. Form mixture into a mound. Make a 4 to 5 inch well in center of the mound. Combine egg and vanilla and pour mixture into the well. Using a fork, draw crumbs into egg mixture, about 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time. When all crumbs are added, toss mixture a few times with a pastry blender to form large clumps, then scrape into a mound.
• Using the heel of your hand, push 2 - 3 tablespoons of the dough at a time, outward in 6 to 8 inch sweeps. This will blend fat and flour and give crust a delicate texture. If your hand becomes sticky, flour it as needed. Repeat process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into a mound again. Repeat procedure 2 more times.
• After third time, flour your hands. Gently knead the dough 5 or 6 times to make it smooth. Shape into a 5 inch disk. Dust disk lightly with flour, score with side of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping. DO NOT LET DOUGH BECOME TOO HARD or it will be difficult to roll. If this happens, let pastry soften at room temperature.
• Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. After dough has been rolled, position rolling pin 4 inches from top of the pastry. Lift dough over top of rolling pin and gently roll dough toward you. Lift pastry up. Make sure you keep a finger pressed against barrel of rolling pin to keep it from slipping. Position pastry, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough hanging over edge of pan on side closest to you. Then unroll pastry over an ungreased tart pan, moving pin away from you. Immediately lift overhang into pan to prevent sharp edge of the pan from cutting dough.
• Working a small portion of the dough at a time, mold it into crease of the pan. Trim excess pastry from top edge of pan. Chill pastry in refrigerator or freezer for up to 30 minutes. Tear an 18 inch square of tin foil. Make a buttered circle in center of foil 2 inches larger than size of pan. Place foil buttered side down, centering it into the baking pan. Using your hand, press foil flush against the sides.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position shelf in lower third of oven. Fill pan with enough dried beans or baking nuggets to just cover surface of pan. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake pastry shell on a shallow pan with sides. Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes or until sides begin to brown. Remove pan from the oven. Let stand about 30 seconds. Gently remove foil and beans. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake crust for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is golden. If bottom of pastry shell puffs up, tap it gently with bottom of a fork to expel the air. Do this carefully so the pastry crust doesn't break. When crust is done, cool completely before filling.

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Put 150g plain flour and 75g unsalted butter in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Mix in 50g icing sugar and a pinch of salt followed by 1 egg yolk. If the pastry feels too dry to form a dough, add 1 tbsp water. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it out into a disc, wrap it in cling film, then chill for at least 30 mins before using in your recipes. You could try using it to make our apple & blackberry pies.

SWEET TART PASTRY

Steps:

• Let the butter sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be malleable but still cool.
• Place the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer or into a medium-size mixing bowl. Using a paddle attachment for a standing mixer or a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until the sugar is no longer visible. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk, and beat until well blended; then, scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add 1 cup of the flour, and beat just until the dough looks crumbly. Add the remaining flour and the cream, and beat until the dough forms a sticky mass.
• Shape the dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Cut the chilled dough into 1-inch pieces. Using the heel of your hand, knead the pieces back together and reform the dough into an even, flattened disk about 6 inches in diameter. Lift it off the work surface, and dust the surface with flour again.
• Dust a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick.
• Very lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour, gently fold it in half and slip the flat bottom of a 9- to 9 1/2-inch fluted straight-sided flan ring under the dough so the dough covers half of it, with plenty of overlap. Carefully place the bottom of the pan into the flan ring, allowing the excess dough to sit up against the sides. Unfold the dough, and with your thumbs on the inside and the tips of your fingers on the outside of the ring, use light pressure to fit the dough into the pan so the bottom and sides are completely covered and the dough extends about 1/2-inch above the rim of the pan. Cut the pastry so it is flush with the rim of the pan. Any tears can be pressed back together or patched with scraps.
• Using a fork or a pastry docker, prick the bottom of the dough all over.
• Place the tart pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and position a rack in the center.
• Remove the dough from the freezer, place in the oven and bake 5 minutes. Check the dough. If it seems to slip down a bit from the sides, use your fingertips and gently push it back. Rotate the pan in the oven. Check again after another 5 minutes. If the dough bulges up in the center, prick it in one or two places with a thin skewer. Rotate it again. Continue baking another 5 to 8 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Total baking time should be 15 to 18 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the dough to cool completely on a rack.

VANILLA BEAN PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Place whole egg and 2 egg yolks into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, corn starch, and salt. Whisk together completely until mixture turns from yellow to a very page creamy color and is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Place milk in a saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape the cut side with a paring knife to extract the seeds (paste). Add the seeds to the milk. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until milk just barely starts to simmer and a few small bubbles appear on the surface. Remove from heat. Whisk hot milk into egg mixture, starting with a small splash then incorporating the rest. Pour mixture back into saucepan.
• Place pan over medium-low heat and continue to whisk until mixture begin to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool 5 minutes. Add chunks of butter and whisk until butter melts into the warm milk mixture. Pass mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove and chunks of cooked egg or vanilla seeds. Cover surface with plastic to keep it from discoloring; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled 2 to 3 hours.

SWEET VANILLA CUSTARD TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• The pastry is best made in a food processor by whizzing the flour, sugar, and butter for a few seconds until it is like fine bread crumbs.
• Then add the egg yolks and up to 2 tablespoons of water.
• Mix to make a soft dough.
• Wrap in plastic wrap.
• Put in refrigerator to chill.
• Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise.
• Scrape out the inner seed mass.
• Add the seed mass and the bean to the milk.
• Heat the milk.
• Bring to a simmer.
• Remove from heat.
• Let the vanilla infuse the milk with flavor.
• In a medium to large bowl, whisk the sugar, egg, and egg yolks.
• Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk.
• Remove the vanilla bean pod.
• Line six 4-inch fluted tart tins (ramekins are too deep) with the sweet pastry by dividing the pastry into six portions and using your fingers to press out and line the tins.
• Place the tart tins on a baking sheet and then fill with the vanilla filling.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Enjoy!