Tart Pastry
lynnescountrykitchen.net

Tart Pastry is buttery, crisp, and strong, with a crumbly, rather than a flaky, consistency. It includes an egg, which gives it extra firmness, enough to hold a filling without a pan to support the sides. The butter is tart pastry add strength as well as good taste.

This well-balanced, basic recipe produces a firm, crisp crust with the taste of butter. You can sweeten it slightly, if you wish, by adding 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar to the flour. Unlike the Basic Pastry Recipes, Tart Pastry will not get tough if you handle it a lot and you can mix it in a food processor.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound cold butter, in small pieces
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal or tiny peas. Whisk the egg yolk and water together in another bowl, add to the flour mixture, and blend until the pastry is smooth and holds together in a ball.

NOTE - ( It can be mixed in a food processor; process first the flour, salt, and butter quickly together, then add the egg yolk and water through the funnel and process until the dough balls up around the blade. Wrap in foil or plastic and refrigerate it at least 20 minutes).

You can roll this dough out with a rolling pin, but you would have to chill it, wrapped in plastic, for at least 20 minutes. It is easier to pat it into a pie pan or spring form pan with your hands.

Pull pieces of dough from the ball and press them over the bottom and sides of the pan, using the heel of your hand.

The dough should be thick enough to hold the filling, but be careful that it is not too thick around the bottom edge or the finished tart will seem coarse.

If there's time, cover the lined pan snugly with foil and refrigerate it before filling and baking it.

Bake as directed in the filling recipe. Or prick the bottom with a fork and bake it unfilled for 12 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven. If you use a spring form pan, do not remove the sides until you are ready to serve the tart.

Makes one 9-inch tart