For the weekend before, we had had a blowout of tarts, a tart bender, tart madness – even, I dare say, a Tart-a-palooza….

– Julie Powell, Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

Tarts are one of my favorite things to make and this is my go-to recipe for a tart crust – only a few ingredients and it comes together quickly. Just remember that keeping the dough cold and allowing it to rest and chill before rolling out is the key to a successful crust.

Tips

• Cut your butter into cubes and keep it cold before cutting in.
• An egg yolk will give your crust flavor and help to bind it.
• Cream will also add flavor and helps keep your dough pliable.
• Chilling the dough before rolling it out gives the glutens a chance to relax, which makes rolling much easier and helps keep your crust from shrinking in the oven.
• Adding an egg white-water wash to an unbaked crust can help keep wet fillings from penetrating and creating the dreaded soggy bottom.

The Steps

• Whisk an egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Mix flour, sugar and salt together.
• Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse meal with pea-sized lumps of butter.
• Add the liquid egg-cream mixture and mix or process until dough comes together in a smooth ball.
• Wrap and chill for at least an hour before rolling out.

So Many Recipes, So Little Time

This simple, elegant tart crust is so versatile. Use it for any recipe calling for a sweet tart crust, shortcrust pastry, or pâte sucrée.

Print Pin

Tart Crust (Pâte Sucrée)

A simple recipe for an elegant, sweet tart (pâte sucrée) crust. Makes enough for a 9- or 10-inch tart.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 tart shell

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Instructions

• Whisk together the yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse to cut the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized lumps, about 8 brief pulses. If mixing by hand, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt and cut in the butter cubes with a fork or pastry cutter.
• With the processor still running, add the liquid egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together around the blade. If mixing by hand, add the liquid mixture and mix until incorporated and dough has become smooth.
• Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to soften slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until crust is slightly larger than your tart pan, e.g. 12 or 13 inches around for a 9-inch tart pan.
• Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan. (It helps to use the rolling pin for this.) Ease the dough into the pan corners and press the dough against the fluted sides of the pan. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove the excess dough. Patch any thin spots or tears with the excess dough and trim away the edge again, if necessary.
• Freeze the tart crust in the pan for 30 minutes.
• Bake or blind bake according to the recipe instructions.

Notes

To fully blind bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the tart shell with a sheet of parchment paper or foil and pour dried beans or pie weights into it. Blind bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until foil/paper no longer sticks to the dough. Remove the parchment paper and weights, then continue baking for another 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is golden and baked throughout. For partial baking or other instructions, follow the recipe. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword pate sucree, tart crust, tart shell