Pâte Sucrée

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Ingredients:

3 ounces sugar

7 ounces all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, diced

3 egg yolks, extra large
1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest*

1 tablespoon cream, optional

Preparation:

Grind orange zest in the food processor with the sugar.  Add flour and salt to sugar and pulse together with sugar. Scatter cold butter over and pulse a few times until butter it resembles fine meal. Add egg yolks and pulse 5 to 8 times until dough comes together. If dough appears dry, add cream and pulse twice more. Scrape out onto plastic wrap, form into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 3 days before rolling.

Dough can be chilled and fitted into tart pan (but not baked) 1 day ahead. Dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag and frozen for up to two months.

Roll dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap and place into a quiche dish or a tarte pan with a removable bottom. Make sure dough is pushed down into the bottom edges.  To cut excess dough, take a rolling pin and roll it across the top of the tarte. Line pan with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, rice or beans . Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes (20 minutes for smaller tarte or mini tartes) or until just barely golden brown. Remove parchment and pie weights, place foil around edges to keep from burning crust and bake another 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes one 11" tarte or one 9 1/2" tarte plus two 4" mini Tartes.

*Variations:

1. Grind 1 1/2 teaspoons orange or lemon or lime zest in the food processor with the sugar before adding the flour and salt to flavor the dough with citrus.

2. Add 1 tablespoon non alcohol vanilla in place of 1 tablespoon cream. Or add a few drops of vanilla along with the yolks.

3. Grind 1 cup of nuts of your choice with the sugar in the food processor before adding and grinding with 5 ounces of flour and salt.

History:

Recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School in Long Beach.