Tart Dough Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a cup with ice and water. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening to make pea-size pieces. Add the tablespoons of ice water from the cup until dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball. The dough is now complete. Put it into a plastic bag or wrap it up and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut the shells using a large glass or your smallest pot. You should have about 12 shells when finished. Put these shells into a greased muffin or tart pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
• Put walnuts and coconut on baking pan and roast for 5-10 minutes, until brown. Remove from oven and set temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Fill the bottom of each tart shell with about 10 raisins each.
• Whisk together sugar, egg, butter, vanilla and hot water. Add coconut and walnuts. Pour mixture into tart shells, filling 2/3 full and no more.
• Bake in 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before attempting to remove. Makes 12 tarts.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together salt and water. Keep very cold until ready to use.
• Place flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly until mixture forms large crumbs. Add the salt water mixture and continue pulsing until a dough has just formed but is not smooth.
• On a lightly floured work surface, evenly divide dough. Form each piece of dough into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients. Press mixture firmly against bottom and side of 9-inch glass pie plate.
• In large bowl, pour boiling water on gelatin; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in lime peel and lime juice. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until very thick but not set.
• Beat gelatin mixture with electric mixer on high speed about 4 minutes or until thick and fluffy; set aside. In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream and crushed strawberries into gelatin mixture. Pour into crust.
• Refrigerate about 8 hours or until set. Garnish with chocolate-covered strawberries. Store covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup flour, and mix just until flour is incorporated. Add remaining 3/4 cup flour, the salt, and cream; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the egg and cream. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, mix in the butter until is the size of small peas. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg mixture. Mix the dough just until it is no longer dry-looking. It will still be loose and crumbly at this point.
• Place the dough on the work surface. With your hands, combine and form the dough into a single ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm but still malleable.
• Rolling and forming the shells: On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Yield: 6 4-inch tartlets
• When lining tart, be sure to press the dough carefully around the bottom edges of the pans.
• Prebaking shells: To prebake a frozen or chilled shell line it with parchment paper. Fill the shell with uncooked rice, beans, or pie weights. (This helps the shell retain its shape.) Bake the shell in a preheated 350 degree oven until the edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and the rice, beans, or weights and continue to bake the shell until it is golden brown all over.
• Unbaked shells can be stored for a day in the refrigerator or for several weeks in the freezer. Once a shell is baked, it should be eaten that day for maximum freshness and flakiness of the crust.

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.

Steps:

• Zabaglione: Combine egg yolks, sugar and salt in a large stainless steel bowl. Whisk in the Marsala and Sherry. Fill a large bowl 1/4 full of ice water set aside. Place first bowl over a pot of boiling water and whisk the egg mixture vigorously for about 5 minutes, until it is thick and tripled in volume. Immediately put over bowl of ice water and whisk until cold. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready for use.
• Sponge cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 12- x 18-inch jelly roll pans with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Put the yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until thick and pale yellow. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add the water and the vanilla. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl. Return to high speed and continue whipping for about 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and ribbony. Fold the dry ingredients into the sugar egg mixture. Put the egg whites in a separate bowl of the mixer. With a clean dry whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Fold half the egg whites into the batter and then fold in remaining whites. Divide batter between the two pans and spread out evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.
• Assembly: Cut the sponge cakes into three 9-inch round circles and then cut each in half horizontally, to make six 9-inch circles. You will need 5 for this recipe. (Freeze others for later use.) Put a cake circle in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Top the cake layer with 1 1/4 cups of zabaglione. Continue layering cake and zabaglione in this manner, ending with a layer of cake. Refrigerate the cake for 1 to 2 hours to allow to set. Unmold the cake by running a hot dry knife around the edge of the pan and then releasing the latch on the springform. Put the heavy cream and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until soft peaks form. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Decorate the top with chocolate shavings and sides with crushed amaretto cookies.

Steps:

• In a food processor combine the flour with the salt. Process the butter and shortening until they are cut into tiny pieces. Add 8 tablespoons of the water and process until it comes into a ball. If it is dry, add water by tablespoonfuls.
• Turn the dough onto a board and press it into a round slab about 1-inch thick. If it is not too hot, roll the dough out immediately. (easier to handle) But if the fat is oozing out, then refrigerate for 2 hours at least or overnight to relax the dough.
• Gently flour your board and rolling pin. Roll dough out from the center until it forms a circle about 1/2-inch thick; turn over and roll until a little thicker than 1/8th-inch thick and 14-inches in diameter.
• Roll the dough over a lightly buttered 12inch false bottomed tart shell. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges pressing up a border 1/2-inch wide. Fold that border back into the pan (it should not overlap the bottom) and press it back into the sides of the tart shell so that you are building up a double thickness of shell wall. Roll the rolling pin over the top to trim off excess pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Line the dough with foil or parchment and fill it with dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove beans and bake 10 minutes longer. Paint the bottom of the shell with egg and sprinkle on grated cheese and return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes to really seal the bottom. Remove from oven and cool tart shell on a rack for 30 minutes before filling and finishing baking.

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt in a bowl; then add the butter and shortening. With your hands, work the fat and flour together, sliding and flattening the mixture between your palms, or thumb and fingertips, until the butter and shortening are evenly distributed. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons cold water, and lightly work it into the flour, using your fingers, slightly cupped together, or a fork. Gather the dough into a ball, sprinkle a few drops of water over any remaining dry ingredients, and gather them together. Cover the dough with waxed paper or plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, and let it rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using. The dough can also be frozen at this point for future use.
• When you are ready to roll the dough, lightly flour the work surface and the top pf the dough. If it is stiff from the cold, let it sit for 20 minutes before you roll it out. Roll it out with firm, even strokes into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Pick it up on the rolling pin and slide it onto the pie dish or tart mold. Or, alternatively, fold it into quarters, lay it with the point in the center of the pan, then unfold. Trim the edges, leaving on overhang of an inch or so; then fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
• To partially prebake the crust, first freeze the empty shell until it is quite firm. If you intend to freeze the crust for an extended period of time, wrap it in foil. When ready to use, preheat the oven to 425°F. Set the frozen tart shell directly into the oven, and bake until the crust has a "set" appearance and is just beginning to color, about 8-10 minutes. While the crust is baking, check to see that the bottom is not swelling with steam and air. If it does, prick it lightly with a paring knife.
• More traditionally, the crust may be prebaked unfrozen, first lining it with buttered foil, filling the foil with pie weights or dry beans, then baking, as above, until the edges are set and slightly browned.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk, water and vanilla; set aside.
• To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.
• To make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and beat just until the dough pulls together.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Use the dough immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.
• To roll out the dough, on a lightly floured board, flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick. Use a small, sharp knife to cut out a round or rounds 2 inches greater in diameter than your tart or larger tartlet pans. Use a small, sharp knife or a cookie cutter to cut out rounds 1/2 to 1 inch greater in diameter than your miniature tartlet pans. If using a rectangular tart pan, cut out a rectangle 2 inches larger on all sides than the pan. Makes enough dough for one 9 1/2-inch tart, six 4-inch tartlets, twelve 2-inch miniature tartlets or one 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch rectangular tart.

Steps:

• Process flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor just until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add ice water. Process just until dough starts to come together (no more than 15 seconds). Turn out dough onto plastic wrap; press into a flat circle, and wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.