Everything tasts better and looks more elegant in a crust. This recipe makes one crust for a topless tart (so to speak). It can be used for sweet tarts or savory ones, just omit the sugar if you are making it for a savory dish. You could also embellish it with herbs, spices, zest, or cheese, depending on what you use as a filling.
Pre-Baked Tart Crust
Makes dough for one 1-crust tart
15 minutes preparation time, plus at least 15 minutes chilling time
30-35 minutes baking time
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2-4 tablespoons cold water
You can make the dough either by hand or in a food processor. Lately, I have been doing it by hand, partly because I don't want to have to clean the food processor and partly because it's fun for me and the children to get our hands in the bowl and muck around with the flour and butter.
If you are making the dough by hand, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar, if you are using it. Add the butter and mix it into the flour mixture quickly with your fingers until it ranges in size from tiny pebbles to cornmeal.
If you prefer to use a food processor, add all the ingredients except the butter and water into the food processor bowl and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse a few more times until the butter is broken into small pieces, ranging in size from cornmeal to tiny pebbles.
If you have been using a food processor, turn the flour mixture into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix with a fork or your hands. If the dough does not hold together after you have mixed in the water, add one additional tablespoon of water at a time until it does. Form the dough into a ball with your hands. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes and up to a couple of days.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on lightly floured plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll the dough until it is about 2 inches larger than the diameter of the tart pan. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart pan. Push the dough down into the sides of the tart pan until it fits snugly. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the sides of the pan to cut the dough. Remove any excess dough.
Butter a large sheet of foil and place the foil, butter side down over the dough in the tart pan. Press the foil into the pan so that it sits tightly on top of the dough. Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Remove the weights and the foil and bake until the crust is lightly brown, about another 7 minutes. Remove and complete according to the requirements of your specific recipe.