Pâte Sucrée – Sweet Pastry

Very quick post as a follow up to the previous, to provide the pastry recipe which has to be my favourite pastry of all time. I know that hyperbole is not exactly helpful but I’m sorry, I simply love this pastry. You can make this dough either on the counter or for quicker and easier method, use a mixer.

Pâte Sucrée – Sweet Pastry

Pierre Herme – “Cooks Book”

makes 1.1kg dough, enough for three 26-28cm tarts or five 24cm tarts

500g Plain White Flour

4 Pinches of Salt (fleur de sel)

300g Butter, at room temperature cut into pieces

Seeds from 1/2 Vanilla Pod

190g Icing Sugar

60g Ground Almonds

2 Eggs

1. Sift the flour and icing sugar seperately. Break the eggs into a bowl. Place the butter in the bowl of the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until the butter softens.

2. Add, in order, the icing sugar, ground almonds, salt, vanilla, eggs and lastly the flour. Mix slowly or on pulse in a food processor until the pastry comes together in ball. As soon as it does stop processing or the pastry will lose its delicate short texture.

3. Divide into equal portions, according to how you plan on using it, wrapping each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate any you plan on using within 48 hours and freeze the rest. The pastry needs chilling for 4 hours, minimum, before use.

4. Cut a circle of baking parchment slightly larger than the tart ring or tin you using. Fold the disc in half several times to make a triangular shape, then clip the outer edge with scissors, to ensure a tight fit.

5. Lightly butter your tart ring or loose bottom tin and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the dough on a floured surface and dust the pastry too. Roll out the pasrty to a 3-5mm thickness. Use a brush to dust off any excess flour. Line your tin/ring and roll the rolling pin over the top to trim the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Line the tart shell with your parchment disc and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 18-20 mins – it will be partially baked. To fully bake remove the rice/beans and parchment disc and bake for a further 6-7 minutes until the pastry is a rich golden colour. Leave to cool on a wire rack before use.

The re-rolled scraps of pastry make really buttery cookies which I filled with some curd I had around and which made the perfect snack