Pate Brisee For Holiday Fruit Tart Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Lay roughly three quarters of butter on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and freeze until hard, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, refrigerate remaining butter.
• Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add refrigerated butter and pulse to combine, about 10 times. Add frozen butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps.
• Add ice water and immediately pulse until just incorporated, about 10 times more. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. Pulse a few more times, if necessary.
• Empty dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring edges together to gather dough, pressing so it comes together into a mass. Roll out dough, still in plastic, to a 6-by-8-inch rectangle (1/2 inch thick). Refrigerate at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days; dough can be wrapped in plastic, then in foil, and frozen up to 1 month.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 3/4 of pate brisee to fit a rectangular 13-by-4-inch tart pan to thickness of 1/8 inch. Place pastry in pan; gently press down with your fingers into edges and along rim. Trim pastry along edge of pan. Cover with plastic; refrigerate, along with remaining dough, while making filling.
• Sift flour, salt, and spices into bowl. Add sugar, dried fruit, citron, orange peel, almonds, zest, and juice. Stir in brandy, molasses, and 1 beaten egg. Pack into pastry-lined tin.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out remaining dough to 1/8 inch thick. Moisten edges of pastry in tart tin with water; place rolled dough over filling. Seal well, and trim excess dough. Chill tart for 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Make three slits with a knife for air vents. Whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Brush tart with egg wash, place tart in oven, and bake until pastry is golden brown and flaky, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature. Using a serrated knife, slice into 3/4-inch-thick slices.

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.

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8 seconds. Add ice water drop by drop through feed tube with machine running, just until dough holds together.
• Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough down into disc with your hands. Wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• With machine running, slowly add between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup ice water through feed tube, until pastry just holds together.
• Turn dough out onto plastic wrap; divide in half. Pat each half into a rectangle; wrap separately. Chill at least 1 hour before using.

Steps:

• Pulse flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some larger pieces remaining. Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over mixture. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If dough is too dry, add up to 1/4 cup more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse to combine.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide dough in half, then shape each half into a disk. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.)

Steps:

• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; process until mixture has pieces ranging in size from crumbs to 1/2 inch, about 12 seconds. Add ice water; process until just incorporated but dough is not wet or sticky, no more than 20 seconds. Squeeze a small amount of dough: It should just hold together. If it doesn't, continue to pulse in more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, and then test again.
• Halve dough; wrap each in plastic. Roll to 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 weeks.

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.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll each disk of pate brisee into a 14-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Place 1 circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Fit the other circle into an 11-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim dough flush with top edge of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the lattice: Remove baking sheet from freezer. Using a clean ruler as a guide, cut dough circle into sixteen 1/2-inch-wide strips with a sharp knife or a fluted pastry wheel. Lay 6 strips of dough on another baking sheet in parallel lines that extend slightly past the width of the tart pan. Lay 6 more strips on top, almost perpendicular to the first strips. Starting in the center, weave 1 new strip diagonally through the existing grid, under the bottom layer of strips and over the top layer. Push diagonal strip into corner of each square (where the perpendicular and parallel strips meet) to create a tight fit. Weave a second strip 1 inch away, this time weaving over then under. Repeat weaving strips across 1/2 the tart. (If dough strips become too soft, return to freezer until firm.) Return to center, and repeat with remaining dough strips to form a star lattice pattern. Freeze until ready to use.
• Bring water, Cognac, sugar, vanilla seeds and pod, cinnamon stick, orange zest, and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add dried fruits, reduce heat, and simmer gently until fruits soften but have not broken down, about 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a measuring cup, and reserve fruit and liquid separately. Let both cool. Discard vanilla pod, cinnamon stick, orange zest, and cloves. (If you have more than 2 cups liquid, simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced; it's fine if you have slightly less than 2 cups.)
• Spread cooled fruit mixture evenly on dough in tart pan, and brush with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Combine yolk and cream in a small bowl, and brush some along top edges of tart. Carefully slide frozen lattice on top of tart, centering it on filling, and press edges to seal. Trim excess dough. Brush top of lattice with egg wash. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake tart for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes. (If crust browns too quickly, tent edges with foil.) Brush crust and fruit with another 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Unmold, and serve immediately with creme fraiche on the side.

Steps:

• Place one cup of flour, the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add the water and slowly pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together, about six to eight times. Do not let it form a ball. Turn the pastry out onto waxed paper and flatten the dough into a circle. If the dough is excessively sticky, sprinkle it with several tablespoons of flour. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Steps:

• Pulse flour and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until mixture just begins to hold together.
• Shape dough into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).