Pate Brisee For Pansy Tartlets Recipes

PANSY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Place apricot jam and 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan; set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring. Remove from heat; pour hot liquid through a fine strainer set over a heat-proof bowl. Discard solids. Return liquid to saucepan; set aside.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of Pate Brisee into a 10 1/2-by-14-inch rectangle. Cut into twelve 3 1/2-inch squares. Press one square of dough into one of twelve 2 1/4- or 2 3/4-inch tartlet pans. Trim edges with a knife. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Prick shells all over with a fork. Place a 3-inch square of aluminum foil into each shell. Fill shells with dried beans, rice, or pie weights; place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven. Bake 13 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Combine eggs yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a heavy saucepan. Combine with a whisk. Set over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping bottom and sides of saucepan. Cook until mixture is thick enough to coat back of the wooden spoon, about 20 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter, one piece at a time, stirring with wooden spoon until smooth. Pour lemon curd into the shells until three-quarters full. Transfer tartlets to refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Using your fingers, rub the pansy petals with water. Place a moistened pansy in the center of each tartlet. Reheat the reserved jam until melted; generously and gently brush the tops with jam. Refrigerate in an airtight container until serving.

PATE BRISEE (PIE DOUGH)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

ALL BUTTER PIE CRUST FOR PIES AND TARTS (PâTE BRISéE)

Steps:

• Remove from refrigerator and let sit for a few minutes: When you are ready to roll out the dough, remove the disk from the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to take enough of a chill off of it so that it becomes easier to roll out. While the dough disk is still wrapped in plastic, warm the edges with your hands. If there are any cracks in the dough, massage them to close them.

PATE BRISEE FOR PANSY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8 seconds. Add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow stream through feed tube. Pulse until mixture holds together. Add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, until dough holds together when squeezed.
• Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a desk, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.

PATE BRISEE (FRENCH SHORTCRUST)

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add cubed butter; pulse until crumbly.
• Pour slow stream of ice water through feed tube while the processor is on low speed until dough holds together when pinched, making sure not to add too much.
• Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form dough into discs on a lightly floured work surface. Wrap discs with wax paper or parchment paper before wrapping with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until use.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin between 2 pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness when ready to use.
• Butter two 9-inch tart pans. Roll crusts 1 at a time onto the rolling pin and unroll over tart pans. Gently push dough into the prepared pans, molding to the sides. Trim edges with fingers or a knife. Fill and bake according to filling recipe instructions.

PâTE BRISéE TART CRUST

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and sugar in medium bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons cold water. Work mixture with fingertips until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 10-inch round. Carefully transfer dough to 8-inch springform pan. Press dough onto bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up sides of pan, pressing to adhere to sides. Fold down and roll 1/2 inch of dough sides inward, forming double-thick edge at top of crust sides. Using dull edge of small knife, make small indentations at 1/2-inch intervals on double-thick edge. Chill 20 minutes.
• Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides of crust are set, about 18 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Pierce bottom of crust all over with fork. Continue to bake until bottom is set and pale golden, about 14 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool in pan on rack.

PâTE BRISéE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl). Add butter, and pulse (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips) until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse (or mix with a fork) until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse (or mix with a fork).
• Divide dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap. Gather into two balls, wrap loosely in plastic, and press each into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, well wrapped in plastic, 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
• Shortening Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces.
• Lard Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold lard. For the best quality, it's worth seeking out leaf lard. You can buy rendered leaf lard from online vendors, or from artisanal butcher shops.
• Cornmeal Variation
• Replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal.
• Cheddar Variation
• Reduce butter to 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) and add 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar to the flour mixture along with the butter. Increase sugar to 1 tablespoon.

PATE BRISEE FOR TOMATO TART

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and thyme, if desired, in a food processor until just combined. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 table knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.)
• A Add 1/3 cup ice water, and process just until dough comes together, no more than 30 seconds (dough should not be sticky). Squeeze a small amount between your fingers; if dough is crumbly, add the remaining water, a little bit at a time.
• Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; flatten into a disk. Wrap in the plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight) before using.