P A S T R Y
39
Basic Pastry
This is the basic dough for pies, tarts and quiches.
I N G R E D I E N T S
2 - 2 / 3
cups all-purpose flour
2
sticks very cold unsalted butter,
cut into 1-inch pieces
1
teaspoon salt
1/2
cup ice water
Use metal blade to process flour, butter and salt
until mixture is like coarse meal, about 8 seconds.
Add ice water and pulse until dough begins to clump
together. Do not let it form a ball. Divide dough into
three equal parts and put each in a plastic food
storage bag. Work through bag to press dough
together into a ball, then flatten into a disc.
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
Roll each disk of dough on lightly floured surface
into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Press into place in
pie pan. Use kitchen shears to trim dough, leaving
1-inch overlap beyond pan. Fold overlap under
and pinch crust to form decorative edge. Prick
bottom and sides with fork and refrigerate crust for
30 minutes, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 400°F. 15 minutes before baking.
Line pie shell with parchment paper and fill it with
uncooked beans or rice. Bake for 12 minutes.
Remove paper, beans or rice. Prick shell again
and bake it 6 minutes longer, or until it is lightly
browned. Remove shell from pan and let cool on
wire rack.
Yield 3 9-inch pie shells.
Fruit Tart Variation:
Use a 9-inch tart pan instead of a pie pan. Bake
shell according to above directions. When cooked
shell is thoroughly cool, fill with about 1 cup of
pastry cream (see recipe on page 38.) Arrange
sliced, fresh fruit (kiwi, peaches, raspberries, etc.)
decoratively on top.
03CU13135 DLC-8S IB 11/16/04 6:05 PM Page 42
