BAKED SWEET TART SHELL

Baked Sweet Tart Shell image

Yield Makes 1 (12- to 13-inch) tart shell

Number Of Ingredients 8

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Special Equipment
a pastry or bench scraper; 1 (12- to 13-inch) round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice

Steps:

Pulse together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add yolks and vanilla and pulse just until incorporated and mixture begins to clump.
Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together into a ball with scraper and transfer to tart pan. Pat out ball with floured fingertips onto bottom and up side of tart pan in an even 1/4-inch layer. (If mixture sticks to your fingers, spread a sheet of plastic wrap over it and pat through plastic wrap.) Prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven on or over a large sheet of foil (to catch any drips of butter) until sides are set and edges are light golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom is golden and sides are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes more. Cool shell completely in pan on a rack before filling.