Tart Dough

Directions

1. 1
   Put the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. 2
   Add the butter to the processor.
3. 3
   Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
4. 4
   Add 1/2 cup of the milk and pulse again, until the dough starts to come together.
5. 5
   Turn the dough out into a bowl and gather it into a ball.
6. 6
   If the dough is still a bit dry, add a little more milk, tossing the dough with your fingers.
7. 7
   You may not need all the milk.
8. 8
   Shape the dough into a brick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
9. 9
   The dough will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator and for several months in the freezer.
10. 10
    Defrost before rolling.
11. 11
    Most of the tart shells in this book are blind-bakedthat is, baked without a filling and cooled.
12. 12
    The result is crisp pastry.
13. 13
    In a restaurant kitchen, we bake a lot of tart shells, so there are a couple of tricks I can share.
14. 14
    Im always looking for a quick and easy way to weight the dough when blind-baking.
15. 15
    Parchment paper and dried beans work well for large tarts: Cut a circle of parchment a couple of inches larger than your mold and then cut into the circle at 1-inch intervals to fit the paper into the dough-lined mold.
16. 16
    Fill with beans, which you can reuse infinitely, and youre ready to go.
17. 17
    However, parchment is a little too stiff to fit easily into small tart rings, so often Ill cut down small coffee filtersthe ones with flat bottomsand fill them with rice.
18. 18
    You could use muffin tin liners just as easily.
19. 19
    But more often than not, Ill use disposable 4-ounce aluminum molds or baking cups filled with rice for 2 1/4-inch tarts.
20. 20
    Wrap them in aluminum foil so you can use them over and over.
21. 21
    I always glaze tart shells after theyre baked.
22. 22
    It seals the pastry, helps make sure it wont get soggy, and gives it a great look.
23. 23
    As soon as the pastry comes out of the oven, remove the weight, brush the tart shell with egg wash (an egg and an egg yolk beaten with a pinch of salt), and put it back in the oven for another minute.
24. 24
    Then let the tart shells cool before filling.