PâTE SUCRéE

Pâte Sucrée image

Categories Pastry

Yield Makes enough for two 8-or-9-inch tarts, or two dozen 3-inch tarts

Number Of Ingredients 6

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 to 4 tablespoons cold heavy cream or ice water

Steps:

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and drizzle 2 tablespoons cream evenly over mixture; pulse just until dough begins to come together, no more than 30 seconds. If dough is too dry, add remaining cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator before using).
Citrus Variations:
Add 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest and 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the dry ingredients.
Poppy Seed Variations:
Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds to the dry ingredients.
Chocolate Variations:
Replace 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder.
Cornmeal-Lemon Variations:
Replace 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup coarse cornmeal; reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the dry ingredients.