Tarts have become a dessert favorite when I think of something new to create. It’s an easy way to add texture to a when thinking of the components and crunch is an important one in my books
This is my go to recipe that I’ve used in the desserts that I serve to our customers. I’ll also share some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way.
The most common one out there is to make sure that your butter is kept cold throughout the process of making your pastry. This will give you that texture that we all look for when making a tart base.
I would advise using a food processor to mix your flour, sugar and butter to make it look like fine bread crumbs. If you do not own a food processor then your finger tips will do just fine. People suggest using a fork instead but I’m not a fan of this method. You might as well get your fingers dirty and save time as well.
Tart base recipe
Ingredients:
- 180g of all purpose flour
- 50g of sugar
- 120g of cold butter
- 1 large egg
- Vanilla essence
Directions:
- Cube your cold butter and then store in the fridge while you weigh out the rest of your ingredients
- Once you have weighed out everything you can then start rubbing your butter into your flour and sugar with your fingertips. Use your fingertips to prevent the butter from heating up too much
- Once your flour and butter starts to look like fine bread crumbs you will then add your egg to the bowl
- Mix till it looks like a shaggy dough then you can start to knead it to bring together
- Don’t knead the pastry for too long, you want to prevent the butter from heating up too much
- Once it’s all together then you will cling wrap the pastry and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Rolling out and baking
- After the hour has passed you will place your dough on the counter for a few minutes to soften a bit so you can roll out easier. Lightly flour your counter to prevent it from sticking, roll out your pastry to fit your tart tin that you will be using. Move your pastry slightly to make sure it’s not sticking to the counter.
- Lift the pastry and place it on your tart tin, push the pastry to the corners of the tin and then remove the excess pastry from the edge of the tin.
- Place your lined tart tin in the freezer for an hour to prevent it from shrinking too much in the oven. Use this time to preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius
- If you are using a tin that is not perforated you will need to use some beans or rice to weigh down the pastry to prevent it from puffing up. Place a sheet of baking paper then your beans or rice on top
- When baking the tart base with the weights you will let it bake for 15\20 minutes before removing the beans or rice to let it get some colour for 5\10 minutes
- Once it’s baked let it cool before filling.
I generally fill my tarts with mousses cause I love the light texture they have compared to custards and fillings that need baking. If you will be adding a filling that requiring baking then once you have done blind baking the tart let it cool and then fill the tart to bake the filling. If you are no doing that then you will fully bake the tart base.
Tips and tricks
Perforated tins really are a game changer, gone are the days of having to use beans and rice that can lead to messes. I was really over the moon once I got my tins, and not having to deal with rice or beans ever again. I did struggle a bit to get them, I’m not really one for online shopping but there is quite a range.
It is important to make sure that before you bake your tart that you’ll let in sit in the freezer after lining your tart tin. This will prevent a lot of shrinkage that happens when its baking in the oven and get maximum height to your tart base.
I leave it in the freezer for about a hour and then bake it straight from the freezer. I’ve had good results when doing this method
To make by tarts a little more flavorful I add a bit of zest to the pastry. The zest really carried over very well and the tart had a punch of flavour with the use of just one lemon or orange. Adding ginger to the base is something I’ve tried that out recently it’s quickly been added to the rotation of infusions
I’ll definitely be trying out other infusions that I find interesting with in the future. Check out some of my tart recipes below to see what you can make with this tart base recipe
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