shortcrust pastry

[angie2]

Hi does anyone have a fool proof reciepe for shortcrust pastry??  I am wanting to make a tart for dessert tomorrow night....help any nigellas out there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[just in case]

I don't have a recipe but wanted to let you know you can get ready made ones in the freezer/fridge section of some groceries if you don't get the chance to make it.

Carrefour has it's house brand of difft kinds called pate de sable, pate de sucre and one or 2 other kinds.  I've also seen at cold storage near the fillo pastry.
Good luck!

[Bad Baker]

I haven't got a recipe on me right now, but take heart - I'm the world's worst baker and I can make shortcrust OK.  You basically mix the flour, butter/marg together and make it into a kind of breadcrumbs (like you're going to make a crumble topping) then you add a small amount of water (less than you think will do it - follow the recipe) and it will all stick together and form a lump of pastry.

The thing about making pastry like this is that you have to try and keep it fairly cool so what I'd suggest is if the crumbs aren't crumby enough, stick the bowl in the fridge for 10 mins, have a coffee and come back to it, then when you've got the pastry formed, another 10 mins in the fridge before rolling out should help.

If all else fails, buy one from the shop - I always buy puff pastry from the shop and when I watched Jamie Oliver once he said he usually does too because it's so faffy to make, so you're not failing if you buy ready made (I know shortcrust is easier to make than puff, but no harm in having a pack in the freezer as back up)

[Mrs Sparkles]

Easy. Shortcrust pastry is just plain flour with half its weight in butter and enough chilled water to bring it into a ball.

120 g flour, 60 g butter are enough for a 20cm tart (ie no top). Adjust quantities in the same ratio if you need more or less.

Pulse flour and butter in food processor (or cut them in with a knife, or "rub in" with your fingertips) and add water a tablespoon at a time.

As PP said, it's really important to keep it cool. Resting it in the fridge will help cooling (and also reduce shrinkage when it is cooked). A couple of extra tips that might be useful in Singapore's climate:

• Use a bottle full of cold water to roll it out, and roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper/ parchment
• Once you have it at the size you want, give it another short rest in the fridge to cool it again before transferring it to your tray.
  

For an enriched version (pate sucree), using 120g flour and 60g butter as described above, add 1 Tbsp sifted icing sugar with the flour. Use 2 egg yolks in place of the water.

If you've not made pastry before and are feeling a bit nervous, it could be worth googling to see if you can find a video to show you how it's done.

[marriedguy]

Marco Pierre White's recipe (tarts)

makes 2x8x1/2 inch flans. This recipe is BRILLIANT.

18 oz (510g) plain flour
6 oz (170g) confectioners sugar (icing sugar)
9 oz (255g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
1 vanilla pod, split open
1.5 eggs, beaten (modified for MrsSparkles).

Sift flour and sugar onto work surface and work in butter. Make a well in the centre and add vanilla seeds scraped from pod as well as eggs. Knead with fingers, working quickly as you can until combined into smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and put in fridge for at least an hour before using.

Preheat oven to 350F (177C)

Grease flan tins with removable base. Roll out pastry allowing for 1/2 inch overhand on flan tin. Line pastry shell with greaseproof or parchment paper and fill with enough pulses (beans, lentils etc) to ensure sides as well as bottom are weighted. Bake 10 minutes . Remove pulses, trim pastry,  and bake further 10 minutes.

You can prick the bottom of the pastry shell prior to baking if you wish. Old chef's trick, after the second baking you can use a pastry brush to paint a thin layer of beaten egg whites to the inside of the HOT shell to seal prior to adding filling later.


Jacques Pepin's recipe for pate brisee (quiche, meat pies).

1 x 9 inch pie

2 cups all purpose flour.
11/2 sticks (6 ounces) sweet butter, very cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 taspoon sugar
1/3 cup water (approx)

Place flour, butter, salt and sugar in a bowl. mix ingredients enough so that butter pieces are coated with flour.

Add some water and knead the dough. Don't worry if there are pieces of butter here and there, it will make the pastry a little flaky like puff pastry.

Don't overwork the dough as it will become elastic. Do let it rest for an hour in the fridge for at least an hour before using.

Note: the more you knead and the more water you use the dough will be more elastic and will shrink. Less water and more butter you use the more crumbly and lax the dough will be. At one end of the spectrum you have bread dough (flour and water) which is elastic, springy and unrollable, and at the other you have biscuit dough (flour and butter) which is soft, crumbly and hard to roll (falls to bits). This dough is intended to be in the middle.

[Mrs Sparkles]

1 1/2 eggs? 

That would surely fail "Recipe Writing 101".

Still, with 11 eggs  in the lemon tart recipe you recently pointed us to,  I guess MPW's recipes need all the cholesterol-cutting they can stand! 

[marriedguy]

1 1/2 eggs? 

That would surely fail "Recipe Writing 101".

Still, with 11 eggs  in the lemon tart recipe you recently pointed us to,  I guess MPW's recipes need all the cholesterol-cutting they can stand! 

Trust me, the pastry is brilliant, I have a ton of it in the freezer.. This is the dough he uses for his famous Harvey's Lemon Tart you refer to, I took out the grated zest of a lemon.

Would kill for a recipe for a tangerine tart. Sheng Siong has the sweetest little tangerines in store at the moment. I will use the pastry recipe above and add the zest of a couple of tangerines.

Trust me Mrs Sparkles, it is a good pastry recipe, call my bluff and make it!!!!!!

Diet optional 

[angie2]

Thank you all so very much!!! I chickened out on making a tart and left dessert all together but will try the receipes and see how I go for the next dinner party......btw can I freeze what I dont use??

[Mrs Sparkles]

Trust me Mrs Sparkles, it is a good pastry recipe, call my bluff and make it!!!!!!

Your assessment of the recipe was never in doubt.

My complaint was about the stupid things that go into recipes sometimes (half an egg, marinating for 15 minutes, miniscule quantities of spices, that sort of thing). Totally impractical for home cooks. No wonder people get brassed off!

Trust me, the pastry is brilliant, I have a ton of it in the freezer..

Thank heaven for freezers! 

[dumb mum]

about the only thing I learnt in Domestic Science at school:

"Half fat to flour and a little cold water to mix to a stiff dough"

So could be

8 oz plain flour
4 oz margarine
cold water

or

4 oz SR flour
4 oz Plain flour
2 oz marg
2 oz lard
(my mum's preferred method.  Not that healthy, but she did turn 80 last year!!)

or

400g plain flour
200g butter


The important thing is to keep it cool (tricky in this climate).  I usually keep the flour in the frezzer, so it's nice and cold to start with.  Then rub in the fat between your fingers, until it resembles bread crumbs.  Slowly add the cold water and stir with a knife.

Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for 20 mins in fridge.  Then roll out and use as required.

[Nigel(la)]

I see "Come Dine With Me" has returned to AFC, 6pm tonight.