Best Tart Shell Recipes

ALMOND TART SHELL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until light golden and fragrant, seven to 10 minutes. Let cool completely, then finely grind in a food processor. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until smooth and light, about one minute. Add almonds, egg yolk, and extract, and beat on medium speed until well combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined to form a dough. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap; pat into a flattened rectangle. Wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or overnight.
• Reheat oven to 350 degrees. On a work surface that is lightly floured, roll out dough to a six-by-16-inch rectangle, about 3/8 inch thick. Fit into a four-by-13-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim flush with edge of pan. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Place tart pan on a baking sheet; bake until crust starts to brown around the edges, 13 to 14 minutes. (Dough will be slightly puffed in spots.) Transfer to a wire rack. Using a metal spatula, gently press on dough until it is smooth and flat. Let cool completely.

PUMPKIN TART WITH PRESS-IN SHORTBREAD TART SHELL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and eggs in a large bowl. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.
• Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until filling is just set and slightly puffed but still a bit wobbly, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 6 hours. Serve chilled, topped with whipped cream if desired.

TART SHELL

Steps:

• Blend together flour, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 3 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (If you overwork mixture, pastry will be tough.)
• 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 with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line tart shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake in middle of oven until pastry is pale golden along rim, 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden all over, 10 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack.

TART SHELL

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle. Slowly add egg yolks, beaten egg half, and vanilla. Add flour and mix until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, unwrap and roll on a floured surface into a 3/8-inch thick circle. Drape into an 11 or 12-inch tart pan and press into corners. Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until light brown. While still warm, remove weights and parchment paper and brush slightly with a beaten egg white, taking care not to use too much and to only brush the inside of the shell. Let tart shell rest at room temperature until ready to fill.;

PRESS-IN SHORTBREAD TART SHELL

Steps:

• Stir together butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in yolks. Add flour and salt, and stir until mixture is dry and crumbly. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, just until crust turns golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in tart pan on a wire rack, 1 hour.

BAKED SWEET TART SHELL

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.

APPLE TART WITH ALMOND TOPPING IN A GLUTEN-FREE SHELL

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Line a sheet pan with parchment. 2. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add the butter. Wait until it stops foaming and is becoming light brown, and add the diced apples, turbinado sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the apples in a layer and cook without moving them for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat to medium-high and sauté, moving the apples around in the pan, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape out onto the lined sheet pan and allow to cool completely. 3. Spread the cooled apples evenly over the pre-baked tart shell. 4. Make the almond topping. Beat the egg whites lightly in a bowl, just until slightly foamy. Whisk in the sugar and stir in the almonds. Spread evenly over the apples. 5. Place the tart on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust and topping are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 322 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 41 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 169 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein Nutritional information per serving (10 servings): 257 calories; 13 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 33 milligrams cholesterol; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 135 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein

PUMPKIN TART WITH SHORTBREAD TART SHELL (VERSION 2)

Steps:

• Blind bake tart shell per its instructions and raise temp to 425.
• used my 9 1/2 inch tart pan with removable bottom.
• keep tart shield on and take off around 25 min at 350.

TART SHELL DOUGH

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.

SHORTBREAD TART SHELL

Steps:

• see above
• For fully baking, like for chocolate tart, bake for 26 minutes; after 17 min put on tart shield; take shield off at 24 min.

PUMPKIN TART WITH SHORTBREAD TART SHELL

Steps:

• see above

CHOCOLATE TART SHELL

Steps:

• 1. Use a pastry knife to blend and cut together until thoroughly mixed. Press into pie/tart pan, bake at 350 F. for 10 - 12 min.