Best 7 French Country Tart Two Variations W Pate Brisee Crust Recipes

PâTE SUCRéE - FRENCH SWEET TART CRUST (PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• Mix Dy Ingredients: Whisk together flour, icing sugar, salt and almond meal in a bowl.
• Add butter: Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. (Note 4).
• Add egg: Mix with a rubber spatula until it becomes too hard to stir anymore, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
• Bring dough together: Turn dough out onto a work surface, then knead to bring together into a smooth ball. Flatten into a 2cm / 0.8" thick disc. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Unwrap chilled dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface.
• Roll out into a 32cm / 13" round (3mm / 1/8" thick).
• Line tart tin: Roll pastry lightly on to a rolling pin (ie. so it wraps around itself). Then unroll it gently over the tart tin.
• Fit pastry: Adjust the pastry to fit into the tart tin, fitting into the corner, taking care not to stretch it (causes shrinkage during bake).
• Trim excess dough: Roll the rolling pin over tart tin to trim excess dough. Pictured tart tin is 24 x 3 cm / 9.5 x 1.2" - you can use any up to this size.
• Prick the base of the pastry 30 times with a fork. Not all the way through - just make a light prick on the surface.
• Chill pastry in tart tin for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
• Baking beads: Cover pastry with 2 sheets of baking paper (parchment paper), in a "X" arrangement. Fill with baking beads (or 2 cups dry raw rice or beans).
• Baking times for a Par Baked Tart to be used for tarts that are baked for > 30 minutes once the filling is added into the cooked tart shell.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 5 minutes: Return tart crust to oven for 5 minutes. Pastry should be light golden, crispy on surface, but slighty undercooked inside (will finish cooking once filled and baked again).
• Use these baking times if the tart shell is to be used for raw fillings (ie tart not baked once crust is filled) OR fillings that are baked for < 25 minutes.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 10 minutes: This will fully cook the pastry through and give it nice colour which we need as the pastry won't cook through in less than 25 minutes once filled.
• Cool: Remove then cool in tart tin before filling (this ensures crust stays crispy once filled), then baking again if filling needs to be cooked (like this Pistachio Frangipane Pear Tart).
• Make ahead up to 3 days, suitable for baking once filled.

PATE BRISEE (PIE DOUGH)

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.

FRENCH FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Crust: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; pulse until pea-size lumps remain. Stir together yolks and 2 tablespoons ice-cold water; drizzle over flour mixture, pulsing just until dough holds together when pressed between your fingers. (If still too dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day, or freeze up to 1 month.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch round fluted tart pan, gently pressing dough into edges. Run a rolling pin over top of pan to remove excess dough (patch any tears with dough scraps, if necessary). Line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice.
• Bake until crust is dry, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; return to oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Brush bottom and sides evenly with chocolate; refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Custard: Meanwhile, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks; whisk until smooth. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking, until mixture has the texture of thick pudding, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Let cool completely. Whisk in sour cream until combined; transfer to crust and refrigerate until custard is set, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day.
• Topping: In a small saucepan or a microwave, warm apricot jam with 2 teaspoons water just until melted (if jam is chunky, strain through a sieve). Drizzle over berries; gently stir to evenly coat. Spoon mixture over custard; serve.

PATE BRISEE (FRENCH SHORTCRUST)

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.

FRENCH COUNTRY TART VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Whisk the eggs and cream together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk to blend.
• For the Lorraine tart: put the onion into a small skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the onion is translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the bottom of the prepared tart shell with the Dijon and spread the cooked onion, bacon and Gruyere on top. Pour the custard over the filling and place the pan into the bottom half of the preheated oven. Bake the tart until the filling is slightly puffed and golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
• For the olives, roasted red pepper and goat cheese tart: Put the olives, roasted red pepper and goat cheese into the prepared tart shell and pour the custard over the filling. Bake as above.
• Prepare the tart pan by spraying it with pan release spray and coating it with the cornmeal. Knock out any excess cornmeal and set the pan aside.
• Blend the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer the mix to a large mixing bowl and add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly with a fork. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead just until it forms a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Carefully lift it into the prepared pan, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. Leave at least a 1-inch overhang, which will be used to crimp the edges. Prick the bottom of the pan all over and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

FRENCH COUNTRY TART (TWO VARIATIONS) W/ PATE BRISEE CRUST

Steps:

• Special Equipment: 9 by 2 1/2-inch deep foil pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the eggs and cream together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk to blend.
• For the Lorraine tart: put the onion into a small skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the onion is translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the bottom of the prepared tart shell with the Dijon and spread the cooked onion, bacon and Gruyere on top. Pour the custard over the filling and place the pan into the bottom half of the preheated oven. Bake the tart until the filling is slightly puffed and golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
• For the olives, roasted red pepper and goat cheese tart: Put the olives, roasted red pepper and goat cheese into the prepared tart shell and pour the custard over the filling. Bake as above.
• Pate Brisee:
• Pan release spray
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into bits
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• Prepare the tart pan by spraying it with pan release spray and coating it with the cornmeal. Knock out any excess cornmeal and set the pan aside.
• Blend the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer the mix to a large mixing bowl and add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly with a fork. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead just until it forms a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Carefully lift it into the prepared pan, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. Leave at least a 1-inch overhang, which will be used to crimp the edges. Prick the bottom of the pan all over and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

TART CRUST

Steps:

• Put the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse once or twice to mix. Add the butter, and pulse twice more, so it's still in very large pieces. Steadily pour the ice water into the machine while pulsing it as quickly as you can, until the butter is still visible in large smears and the dough is pushing up the sides of the bowl and looks like damp bread crumbs (you may not need to add all the water).
• Scrape the dough crumbs into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The dough will continue to hydrate, but if it still feels powdery and dry, wet your fingertips and flick a little cold water onto the crumbs.) After 1 hour, divide the dough into two even balls, gently squashing each into a disc, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Put one in the fridge, to roll out for the potato-and-radicchio tart, and put the other in the freezer so that you have dough ready to go for another tart.