When setting out to make a tart the French way (and most pastry chefs do) you’ve got two basic choices in dough: pâte brisée or “short dough“ and pâte sucrée, or “sweet dough”. Sweet dough is both richer and sweeter than short dough, which means it’s more tender, but it’s still firm enough to hold its shape when cut into slices and served.
What’s the difference between tart doughs and pie crusts? you might well ask. It’s a good question, because the ingredient proportions can be strikingly similar: lots of butter relative to the flour. One big difference is the amount of sugar that’s added. Pie crusts contain very little (if any) sugar. Tart doughs call for quite a bit, usually in powdered form to speed its incorporation into the dough (crystal sugar can cause graininess). Tart doughs also usually call for eggs (or egg yolks) and cream.
The big process difference between the two is that whereas pie crusts are usually made by hand, tart doughs are made (ideally) in a food processor. I should insert the obvious here: food processors are not an authentic part of the tart-making process. However the spinning blades give tart dough a uniformity of texture that’s very hard to replicate by hand. And that uniformity, once the rolled crust is put into the oven, helps prevent cracking and the loss of precious filling.
There are a lot of recipes out there for pâte sucrée, and a lot of people expend a lot of energy arguing over which one is more authentic than the other. This one just happens to be my favorite. The formula is:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3 ounces powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (4 ½ ounces) butter, cold
Begin by combining the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a bowl.
Wreck it.
Now combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the plastic pastry blade, and process for 30 seconds or so until they’re blended.
Add the cold butter and pulse for one or two seconds at a time until the butter is incorporated (it could take a couple of dozen pulses).
Yes, I forgot to take a picture of that phase. Oopsie. Now then, with the motor running, add the egg mixture. Wait for the mixture to collect into a single mass — then stop the machine immediately. It should look about like this:
Pat the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic and put it into the fridge for a minimum of an hour, maximum of two days.
Freeze it for up to two months. There, that was easy, wasn’t it?
Does this yield 2 or 3 tarts?
Hey Lezlie!
It depends on the size! I use this for one large 10″ or 11″ tart. Honestly, I’m not sure about smaller ones…I need to come up with some portions for that!
- Joe
Hi Joe,
My food processor only comes with the standard steel blade. Is it OK to use or should I look for a plastic one? Thanks!
Yes, a steel blade is fine. In fact I use the steel one almost exclusively. It should work well, even for dough.
- Joe
Hello!!
I made this tart shell. I have made two 7 inch tart shells. I am not sure if I did it right or wrong. After I baked the tarts, it resembles more of a biscuit shell. Is it how the texture of the tart shell is meant to be? Like a biscuit. It is now in the fridge, waiting to be filled.
I would like to fill it up with chocolate mousse. I was wondering, if I add orange juice or raspberry juice and smashed raspberry in the melted hot chocolate. Will the chocolate seize? Since I have two tart shells, I would like to make mousse two ways: 1) adding eggs to my mousse – using the recipe I found in your website (2) beating (1 cup) whipping cream to stiff peak and adding (112 grams) of dark chocolate that will be melted over simmering water. For both the methods, adding smashed fruits and juices, will the chocolate seize?
If the answer is “NO, The Chocolate will be perfectly FINE, IT WILL NOT SEIZE”
Could you please tell me the amount of juice and smashed raspberries I should add in grams measurement? When should I add smashed fruits and juices to the chocolates? Should I add the smashed berries and juices to the raw chocolate or after the chocolate has been melted? I love mousse. I love terry’s chocolate orange and smashed raspberry flavored dart chocolates . I have been eating a lot of chocolate mousse. Now, I am thinking if I could add some fruity flavors to my chocolate mousse.
Thank You!!!
Hi Khan!
It sounds like you did it right…it should be something like a biscuit. Regarding the fruit, definitely do not add them to the melted chocolate as the juice absolutely will cause the melted chocolate to seize. However you can certainly try folding in some fruit after you have finished the mousse. That should not be a problem. As for the amount, you can add as much as you want as long as you are satisfied with the texture. Let me know how it goes!
- Joe
Hello!!!
I added fresh raspberries. I did not squish them. I gently folded them. I was afraid that, what if the juices from the squished raspberry, makes my chocolate seize and the whipping cream curdled. It is the same reason I left out the orange. I did not add orange to the chocolate mousse tart. If the raspberry do get seized, it might as well be inside the mouth of people eating them. When I ate the raspberry chocolate mousse, to me it tasted fine. I nicely leveled out the raspberry chocolate tart and decorated with raspberry on top, going round all the way in the center. Sprinkled with edible gold sprinkles. It looked very pretty.
I also really really really really appreciate your prompt, quick responses. It saves the dishes from a lot of disasters waiting to be happened. It also helps me a lot and tremendously on my cooking techniques. Also importantly on the time, because if I added squished raspberry and orange juice on the hot molten chocolate. It would have gotten seized and I would not have had the time to make a new one.
Thank You!!!!!
It’s my pleasure, Khan!
Get back in touch if I can help in any other way.
- Joe