Pastry Crust, French Sweet (Pâte Sucrée)
Ingredients
Lemon Pastry Cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 2/3 cups sugar divided
- a pinch of salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbs lemon juice fresh
- 4 tbs unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon zest finely grated
Tart Assembly
- 1 recipe pâte sucrée (almond variation) , blind baked and cooled completely
- 1 cup strawberries , tops removed and sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup apricot jelly , apple, or red currant jelly
- 1 tbs water or Limoncello
Pastry Crust, French Sweet (Pâte Sucrée)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2-3 tbs heavy cream
- 1 cup unsalted butter , chilled and cut into small pieces
Instructions
Make the Lemon Pastry Cream
- Combine half and half, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat until bubbles form around the edges and wisps of steam rise from the pot. Remove from heat.
- While half and half mixture is heating, whisk together egg yolks, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until a light yellow color.
- Slowly add about half of the hot half and half mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. ("Tempering" the eggs.) Whisk tempered eggs into the remaining half and half mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth. (Mixture will coat the back of a spoon.)
- Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and butter until smooth. Pass mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl and discard any small egg solids. Stir in lemon zest.
- Cover pastry cream with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled.
Assemble the Tart
- Spoon chilled pastry cream into tart shell and spread to an even layer. Top with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
- In a small saucepan, heat jelly with water (if using), just until melted. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of fruit in the jelly. If using Limoncello instead of water, add it after straining.
- Lightly brush the berries with the glaze. Slice the tart into wedges and serve immediately.
Pastry Crust, French Sweet (Pâte Sucrée)
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, pulse together flour, granulated sugar, and salt (3-4 times until combined). Add butter and pulse just until the mixture is crumbly, and the butter is the size of tiny peas. Stir together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small bowl.
- Stir together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small bowl. With the mixer running, add egg yolk mixture to the flour in a steady stream just until incorporated. For a tender crust, do not overmix. Pinch the dough between your fingers. If it is too crumbly to hold together, incorporate an additional tablespoon of cream.
- Turn dough out onto a nonstick mat or lightly floured surface and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes before rolling and baking according to your recipe's directions.
To blind bake a tart shell
- Roll one prepared dough disk to between 1/8- and 1/4-inch thick. Roll the dough around your pin and fit it into the tart pan without stretching the dough. Roll over the top rim of your tart pan with the pin to remove the excess dough and make a flush edge. (If the dough cracks anywhere in the pan, simply press in pieces of excess dough to fill.) Prick the bottom of the crust in multiple places with a fork ("docking"). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (30 minutes) or freeze (15 minutes) until dough is chilled and firm.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with rack in center position.
- Line dough with foil, leaving 2-inches of overhang on each side. Fill with pie weights and pull down the foil to cover the sides of the pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and pie weights. Continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes, until crust is golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Follow filling instructions for your recipe.
- Variation: Almond pastry crust: add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract to the egg yolk and cream mixture.
Notes
Lemon Cream Mixed Berry Tart
This mixed berry tart is an elegant and refreshing addition to any summer dessert table. Both the crust and the pastry cream can be made a day or two in advance of serving. (Store the pastry cream in the refrigerator.) To maintain a crisp crust, assemble the tart within an hour of serving.
This recipe can be made in either ONE, 11-12 inch tart pan; TWO, 8-9 inch tart pans; or TWO, 4x14 inch tart pans (pictured).
Ingredients
Lemon Pastry Cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar , divided
- pinch salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest , finely grated
Tart Assembly
- 1 recipe pâte sucrée (almond variation) , blind baked and cooled completely
- 1 cup California Giant Berry Farms strawberries , tops removed and sliced
- 1 cup California Giant Berry Farms blueberries
- 1/2 cup California Giant Berry Farms raspberries
- 1/2 cup apricot, apple, or red currant jelly
- 1 tablespoon water or Limoncello
Instructions
Make the Lemon Pastry Cream
Make the Lemon Pastry Cream
-
Combine half and half, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat until bubbles form around the edges and wisps of steam rise from the pot. Remove from heat.
-
While half and half mixture is heating, whisk together egg yolks, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until a light yellow color.
-
Slowly add about half of the hot half and half mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. ("Tempering" the eggs.) Whisk tempered eggs into the remaining half and half mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth. (Mixture will coat the back of a spoon.)
-
Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and butter until smooth. Pass mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl and discard any small egg solids. Stir in lemon zest.
-
Cover pastry cream with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled.
Assemble the Tart
-
Spoon chilled pastry cream into tart shell and spread to an even layer. Top with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
-
In a small saucepan, heat jelly with water (if using), just until melted. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of fruit in the jelly. If using Limoncello instead of water, add it after straining.
-
Lightly brush the berries with the glaze. Slice the tart into wedges and serve immediately.
Pastry Crust, French Sweet (Pâte Sucrée)
This sweet French pastry crust is an essential for dessert tarts.
The recipe yields ONE, 11-12 inch tart; TWO, 8-9 inch tarts; or TWO, 4x14 inch tarts.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup unsalted butter , chilled and cut into small pieces
Instructions
-
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, pulse together flour, granulated sugar, and salt (3-4 times until combined). Add butter and pulse just until the mixture is crumbly, and the butter is the size of tiny peas. Stir together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small bowl.
-
Stir together egg yolks and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small bowl. With the mixer running, add egg yolk mixture to the flour in a steady stream just until incorporated. For a tender crust, do not overmix. Pinch the dough between your fingers. If it is too crumbly to hold together, incorporate an additional tablespoon of cream.
-
Turn dough out onto a nonstick mat or lightly floured surface and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours.
-
Remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes before rolling and baking according to your recipe's directions.
To blind bake a tart shell
-
Roll one prepared dough disk to between 1/8- and 1/4-inch thick. Roll the dough around your pin and fit it into the tart pan without stretching the dough. Roll over the top rim of your tart pan with the pin to remove the excess dough and make a flush edge. (If the dough cracks anywhere in the pan, simply press in pieces of excess dough to fill.) Prick the bottom of the crust in multiple places with a fork ("docking"). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (30 minutes) or freeze (15 minutes) until dough is chilled and firm.
-
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with rack in center position.
-
Line dough with foil, leaving 2-inches of overhang on each side. Fill with pie weights and pull down the foil to cover the sides of the pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and pie weights. Continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes, until crust is golden.
-
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Follow filling instructions for your recipe.
Recipe Notes
Variation: Almond pastry crust: add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract to the egg yolk and cream mixture. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!