Pâte sucrée, or “sweet pastry,” is a sturdy dough, thanks to its proportion of sugar and the addition of egg yolks. It’s a good choice for tarts, which are most often unmolded before serving. It is also more tender than pâte brisée, breaking cleanly under a fork instead of shattering into flakes.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes enough for two 8-or-9-inch tarts, or two dozen 3-inch tarts
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and drizzle 2 tablespoons cream evenly over mixture; pulse just until dough begins to come together, no more than 30 seconds. If dough is too dry, add remaining cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator before using).
Citrus Variations:
Step 2
Add 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest and 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the dry ingredients.
Poppy Seed Variations:
Step 3
Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds to the dry ingredients.
Chocolate Variations:
Step 4
Replace 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder.
Cornmeal-Lemon Variations:
Step 5
Replace 3/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup coarse cornmeal; reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the dry ingredients.
