I
normally make this in my food processor (because I am super lazy
and my dishwasher works really well). Of course the enemy of a good
pie crust is over working the dough, so use a light hand on the
pulse button. Regardless I never fail to get way too many compliments
on my tarts.
Have
all your ingredients ready - the butter, egg and milk need to be
cold. So cut the butter up and first then put it back in the fridge
while you get the other ingredients together.
Sift
the flour and place in the bowl of the food processor with the sugar,
salt. Then take the cold butter that you have cut up and add it
to the processors bowl.
Pulse
a with a few short bursts until the butter and flour look crumbly
but not completely incorporated, then add the egg and the milk and
pulse a little more. Just enough that it all comes together. As
I said use a light hand if it does not all go together you can lightly
knead it using the heal of you hand on the counter when you remove
it from the processor. Use a light dusting of flour on the counter,
the dough and your hands as you gather up the dough. Shape it into
a disk and wrap tightly in cling film or place in a plastic bag
and put it into the fridge to rest for at least one hour.
Tip: You really only want to have just enough liquid in the mix to bring
it all together. I think that this is where most people have problems.
3/4 of an egg and a whole tablespoon of milk in this recipe will
just be too much liquid so measure your ingredients well. If the
dough is too wet it will be difficult to roll out later. If it's
to dry it will just crumble and break up as you are rolling it out,
if its too warm it will stick to everything.
See: Short
Pastry by Hand for detailed instructions on making
and rolling out short pastry. Lots of photos!
Rolling
out the dough: Your tart pan should be buttered and lightly
floured before you begin rolling out the dough. On a cool work surface
(wood will only make your life miserable at this moment) take the
dough and dust it lightly including your rolling pin and work surface.
It
will be hard and you might have to put your shoulders into it but
it will roll out. You can at this point wait for a few minutes but
as soon as the dough begins to roll out more easily you will find
that unless you are fast it will get too warm to easily handle as it
gets thinner.
The
technique for rolling is to roll it out a bit in one direction then
give it a quarter turn and roll again. Continue this method, roll
then a quarter turn until the dough is the size and thickness you
desire. This method insures that you get a circle instead of an
oval or who knows what! Start small and as the dough gets warmer
it will be more easy to roll. Flip the dough over from time to time,
this will also help with the rolling. At least I find it does.
Roll
the dough to a thickness of 3 millimeters or 3/16 if an inch. I admit
that this can take a bit of practice but after you have done this
recipe 3 or 4 times it will be completely natural to you.
Dust
off any excess flour with a pastry brush and line your tart pan
with the dough.
Some
people find it a bit easier to do this by rolling the dough around
the rolling pin then positioning the the rolling pin over the tart
pan and letting the dough fall back into the pan. Avoid any stretching
of the dough while you do this.
Push
the edges of the dough into the corners of the tart pan, pushing
the edges down to thicken the sides of it slightly and making a
nice fit. This thickening up of the sides slightly will help later
after the tart is baked when trying to slice it. Trim off the excess
dough by pushing down with your finger in an outward direction.
If your using this dough in another type of baking pan you may crimp
the edges of it. In a tart pan it isn't necessary.
If the dough splits or cracks while you are putting it into your
tart pan don't worry. Wet your finger with a little water, dampen
the dough where its broken and make repairs by pressing the dough
back together. Do the same for any holes you might have.
Baking
the tart case blind (empty) Many recipes call for a fully
or partially baked tart shell. After the dough has been rolled out and allowed to rest for an hour in the fridge, prick the bottom of the tart with a fork all over to alllow steam to excape during baking which stops the center of the pie shell but rising up like a dome during the baking, (this is called docking). Place a piece of baking parchment
or aluminum foil (slightly larger than the tart pan) in the bottom
of the uncooked tart shell. Into this pour in a couple of cups of dried
uncooked white beans (kidney or navy will do, rice also works).
Distribute them evenly over the bottom and into the corners of the
unbaked pie shell. These will stop the pie crust from shrinking
and will also stop air from lifting up the bottom of the shell during
the baking process. We want a thin and completely flat crust when
we are done. I have been using the same old bag of beans for the
past 10 years.
For
a partially cooked shell which you usually need for quiche
and some savory pies bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes minutes.
For
a fully cooked shell which you would make for a classic
strawberry or banana tart, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, at 200 degrees, remove from the oven and take away the parchment and the beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until the pie shell gets a lovely even light golden color and is cooked trough.
Remove
from the oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.
Note: Baking times vary from oven to oven especially if you have a convection
oven, begin checking from the earliest times given here. |
