Rich Tart Crust Recipes

SWEET TART CRUST RECIPE

Steps:

• Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by using a pastry cutter. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. Add egg and vanilla extract and keep pulsing until the dough is no longer dry and starts to clump together, about 10-15 seconds. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed; rather the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps. Another way to check if it's done is to take a piece of dough and press it between your thumbs - the dough should stick without feeling dry or crumbly.
• Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. It should come together easily without being sticky. Flatten ball slightly with your hands to form a thick disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• If you don't want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month and then thaw overnight in the fridge.
• To roll out the dough: Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 11-inch circle, then place gently into a 9-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom); you can do this by flouring a rolling pan and rolling the dough loosely around it, then unrolling it into the pan. Brush away any excess flour on the surface. With a sharp knife, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
• To bake the crust: Preheat oven to 375F/190C and place rack in the center.
• Press parchment paper or aluminum foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights/dried beans/uncooked rice, making sure they're fully distributed over the entire surface.
• Bake crust for 20 minutes, until foil no longer sticks to the dough. Transfer crust to a wire rack and remove weights and foil.
• To partially bake the crust: Bake for 5 minutes longer. You'll now need to proceed with your tart recipe, add the filling, and finish baking. According to your recipe, the crust should be used either while warm or after it's been left to cool on a wire rack.
• To fully bake the crust: Bake for about 10 minutes longer until golden brown and dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

EASY MINI LEMON TARTS WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, eggs, flour, and lemon zest for filling together in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
• Combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt for crust in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until the dough begins to come together in a ball.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, placing dough portions in each well of a nonstick 6-well mini tart pan. Press dough over the bottom of each well and up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until mini tarts reach room temperature.

RUSTIC APPLE TART WITH RICH CREAM CHEESE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• TO MAKE THE FILLING: Peel the apples and cut them in half.
• Remove the cores with a paring knife.
• Cutting from blossom end to stem end, slice each half into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Combine the apple slices with the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
• Stir to combine.
• Let the apples stand until the sugar is dissolved, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
• Place a shaped large dough round on a baking sheet.
• Arrange the apples slices in 2 concentric circles on the large dough round or in one circle on the small rounds, overlapping the apple slices slightly.
• Brush the rim of the crust with the egg yolk.
• Sprinkle the apples with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with Vanilla Whipped Cream or ice cream on the side.
• Rustic Apple Tart is best served on the day it is made.
• TO MAKE THE CHEESE TART DOUGH: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the cream cheese, butter, 1 cup flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor.
• Process until the dough just comes together.
• It will be sticky.
• Sprinkle the parchment paper with flour.
• Turn the dough out onto the sheet and, with floured hands, press the dough into a rough 10-inch circle or four 5-inch circles.
• Roll about 1/2 inch of the edge of the circle inward to create a lip to catch the juices.
• Refrigerate the crust for 1 hour or wrap the baking sheet in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours until you are ready to use it.
• Shaped Rich Cream Cheese Tart Dough, wrapped in plastic, may be frozen for up to 2 months and used directly from the freezer.
• TO MAKE VANILLA WIHPPED CREAM: Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
• With an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip on high speed until the cream just holds stiff peaks.
• Do not over whip.
• Use immediately, or refrigerate it, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 6 hours.
• Whisk it again for a couple of seconds before using.
• NOTE: If you are having eight or fewer people for Thanksgiving, double this recipe and make eight individual tarts.
• The dough can be made and shaped weeks ahead of time, and the rest of the prep is minimal, leaving lots of time to prepare the rest of the meal.

TART DOUGH

Steps:

• To make the dough in a food processor: Put the flour, sugar and salt in the processor and whir a few times to blend. Scatter the bits of butter over the flour and pulse several times, until the butter is coarsely mixed into the flour. Beat the egg with the ice water and pour it into the bowl in 3 small additions, whirring after each one. (Don't overdo it - the dough shouldn't form a ball or ride on the blade.) You'll have a moist, malleable dough that will hold together when pinched. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it lightly), and flatten it into a disk.
• To make the dough by hand: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Drop in the bits of butter and, using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed. You'll have large and small butter bits, and that's fine - uniformity isn't a virtue here. Beat the egg and water together, drizzle over the dough, and, using a fork, toss the dough until it is evenly moistened. Reach into the bowl and, using your fingertips, mix and knead the dough until it comes together. Turn it out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it some more), and flatten it into a disk.
• Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
• When you're ready to make the tart shell, butter a 9- to 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (butter it even if it's nonstick).
• To roll out the dough: I like to roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a lightly floured rolling cover, but you can roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. If you're working between sheets of paper or plastic wrap, lift the paper or plastic often so that it doesn't roll into the dough, and turn the dough over frequently. If you're just rolling on the counter, make sure to lift and turn the dough and reflour the counter often. The rolled-out dough should be about ¼ inch thick and at least 12 inches in diameter.
• Transfer the dough to the tart pan, easing it into the pan without stretching it. (What you stretch now will shrink in the oven later.) Press the dough against the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If you'd like to reinforce the sides of the crust, you can fold some of the excess dough over, so that you have a double thickness around the sides. Using the back of a table knife, trim the dough even with the top of the pan. Prick the base of the crust in several places with a fork.
• Chill - or freeze - the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Press a piece of buttered foil (or use nonstick foil) against the crust's surface. If you'd like, you can fill the covered crust with rice or dried beans (which will be inedible after this but can be used for baking for months to come) to keep the dough flat, but this isn't really necessary if the crust is well chilled. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the tart pan on the sheet.
• To partially bake the crust: Bake for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove the foil (with the rice or beans). Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.
• To fully bake the crust: Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it is an even golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.

THE BEST LEMON TART EVER

Steps:

• Combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; mix ingredients thoroughly with a paddle attachment. Mix flour into butter mixture to make a smooth dough. Press dough into a 9-inch tart pan; refrigerate crust for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake crust until light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Whisk sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup flour in a bowl until smooth. Pour lemon filling into crust. Cover edges of crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake tart until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely and dust with confectioners' sugar.

RICH TART CRUST

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pluse once or twice.
• Add the butter and process about 10 seconds until the mixture looks like cornmeal.
• Add the egg yolks and process another few seconds.
• Place the mixture in a bowl and sprinkle 3 T of water over it. Gradually gather the mixture into a ball. Add more water if the mixture is dry.
• Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze the dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes).
• Roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap - both sides sprinkled with flour.
• Roll from the center out. Add a little flour if it seems very sticky at first. But if it becomes sticky while you're rolling, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
• When the diameter of the dough is about 2 inches greater than that of your tart pan, move the dough into the pan.
• Before filling, freeze the dough for 20 minute or refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake as directed in the recipe.
• Or if not so directed, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Line it with tin foil and weight the bottom with beans, rice (I used quinoa). Bake 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, reduced heat to 350 degrees and remove weights and foil. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove and cool on a rack.