Of all the pastry to make at home from scratch, short crust is the most useful for both sweet and savoury dishes. Making it yourself gives you great flavour and more flavour options, and means you know exactly what’s in it. It’s not difficult to make from scratch, but there are a few pitfalls to avoid, and it does take time from start to finish as you must rest the dough after handling — the fridge does this part of the work, but some planning ahead is required.
I taught a pastry class recently to six home cooks who had various degrees of experience, and every one of them was surprised at how quick and easy it was to make up a batch of short crust pastry. The subsequent handling of it was not so straightforward as we were working on one of the hottest days of the year in a kitchen registering 28C (82F) even before the room full of ovens went on. We had to pause a couple of times to chill the dough briefly, but everyone left with two delicious tarts to take home, without disastrous leakage, shrinkage or other kitchen catastrophe. The heat complication was a silver lining, in fact, as everyone also left with the confidence of knowing that they could produce in melting weather under the pressure of time — so how much easier to make an excellent short crust at home? Skip to recipes for classic lemon tart and crab tartlets.
One of the commonest complaints I hear from people learning to make short crust is that their efforts resemble ‘cardboard’, without knowing why. Well, everyone in class cracked that one — the cardboard factor typically results from adding too much fluid to the initial flour-and-butter mix, and then having to compensate with too much flour when rolling out the dough. It can also be the result of rolling the pastry thicker than needs be, and working with dough that hasn’t rested enough and isn’t cold enough. Those who had struggled in the past recognised those factors as where they had gone wrong, and corrected them.
The first step to avoiding the cardboard effect is to add water and other fluids very gradually, and perhaps in smaller quantity that you think at first is needed. Mix lightly, and pinch the dough to test whether it ‘wants’ to stick together or not — if some places are wet enough and some are too dry, sprinkle the lightest bit of water you can over the dry bits, as though you were scattering droplets while ironing a shirt. The second tip is to roll the dough between sheets of cling film, rather than straight onto a floured board: this makes it easier to roll thinner, and means no extra flour is needed at all, which helps to produce the lightest crust. It also makes it easy to pick up and refrigerate the pastry again if needs be — on a hot day, for example. Finally, rest your dough between every ‘handling’ and allow temperature to work for you, not against you: chill the dough adequately, and stop if you find you are struggling with a too-soft dough and simply pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before proceeding.
This posting has recipes for two special tarts: the classic lemon tart (tarte au citron), deservedly one of the most popular desserts going; and luxurious crab tartlets with a delicious savoury crust made with chive and parmesan. I’ve also compiled a summary of the different types of short crust pastry to help you choose which kind to make for different purposes; and I share some of the best troubleshooting tips I’ve accumulated through the years, which I hope will help you enjoy making your own pastry.
TYPES OF SHORT CRUST PASTRY
A classic short crust pastry is the most versatile of all pastry doughs, used in some variation for pies, tarts, galettes, pasties, and tartlets of all shapes and sizes. The term ‘short’ refers to the reliance on fat (or ‘shortening’) in the dough, which keeps the gluten strands of the wheat flour ‘short’ and flaky, rather than long, elastic and chewy, as in bread. It does this by coating the grains of flour with the fat to inhibit the linking of long strands; lard and suet are most effective in doing this.
Typically there is no rising agent in short crust (though some cooks do use self-rising flour); the fat provides the ‘lift’ that produces flakiness, as the water in the butter creates steam when it hits the oven, which evaporates to create little air pockets. The components and method of mixing are basic and quick: fats are blended into flour, to which is added a little salt (and sometimes sugar), and the whole is then bound together with a small amount of cold or iced water (and sometimes other liquids: i.e., flavourings or egg).
The French version of short crust pastry is made with all-butter, and there is a higher ratio of fats to flour than is usual with British and American versions of pastry. This produces a distinctively buttery flavour, deeper colour and richness, as well as crisp flakiness. This is an ideal pastry for open tarts, especially for recipes that call for ‘baking blind’ – i.e., fully baking an empty tart shell prior to filling with something like crème pâtissière and fresh fruit – or for recipes that call for part-baking the shell before finishing it in the oven with a moist filling.
We may be more familiar in the UK and US with short crust pastries made with a mix of butter and vegetable shortening (or lard, in the case of meat pies in particular). These mixed-fat pastries tend to be used for fruit pies with top and bottom crusts, and are somewhat easier to roll and manipulate into the tin. They also rather lighter, flakier, and more tender than the all-butter short crust. This makes them less suitable for open tarts which need to have more structural integrity — but there are those who prefer the flavour of all butter pastry (even when making a double-crust pie).
The umbrella term for the unsweetened version of the classic French short crust pastry is pâte brisée (literally translated as ‘broken-textured pastry’, as the particles of fat are ‘broken’ into the flour, and this breaks the gluten strands). Sometimes, even for savoury uses, a tiny amount of sugar may be added to the basic flour, butter, salt and iced-water combination.
Sweet short crust (pâte sucrée) is also classically made with all butter, and is richer, crisper, sturdier and slightly less flaky and tender than an unsweetened pâte brisée, or a short crust made with lard or vegetable shortening. The usual ingredients for a sweet short crust pastry are the familiar flour, a pinch of salt, a still fairly small amount of sugar, though more than for a savoury crust, butter as the only fat, and a little iced-water to pull it all together, although you can add more flavour with the addition of vanilla extract in place of some of the water, or modest embellishments such as lemon zest.
Adding an egg yolk to a short crust pastry – either sweet or savoury – adds strength, richness and colour. (This is called pâte a foncér, or ‘pastry used to line a mould’). The egg is especially useful when other ingredients are added, such as ground nuts, or the parmesan and chives in the savoury crab tartlets, as it helps with handling the dough. Egg adds moisture, so can replace some or all of the usual water.
Some tart doughs, especially for small French-style petit-four tartlets where the crust is fully baked before filling, are made even richer and sweeter with the addition of egg yolk and additional sugar and butter (this is sometimes called a ‘rich sweet short crust’). Such doughs are similar to a cookie/biscuit dough, and are sometimes made with the creaming method rather than ‘blending in’. They can be pressed into small moulds rather than being rolled.
Pate sablée is the general term for a sandy-textured, rich short crust, and can be made with warmer butter that is absorbed into the flour, or with the addition of ground nuts. This makes a very crumbly pastry that falls apart, so is one for bite-sized tartlets.
TIPS FOR MAKING SHORT CRUST PASTRY
- Temperature is important in pastry making, and controlling the dough often relies on chilling it. If you find you are struggling with the dough, chill it for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Let the dough rest after every ‘handling’ – i.e., after mixing, and then again after rolling and lining your tin. It will flake better and shrink far less when you do this.
- Butter should be cold, but not too hard, and the pastry needs to be chilled at various stages to ensure flakiness, and to prevent shrinkage. This ‘resting’ relaxes the gluten, which can toughen with moisture and handling.
- A light hand is the rule with pastry making, for the same reason that excess mechanical action leads to toughness, oiliness and shrinkage.
- Shrinkage can be a real problem if you don’t rest the dough, and this can lead to a failed tart, as the filling can overflow. In addition to resting the dough, a further way to avoid this risk is to leave the rolled dough overhanging the tin until you have given the tart crust its initial pre-bake. This blast of heat should be enough to set it in place and stop further shrinkage. It is still very important, though, that you rest it in the fridge before giving it the first bake.
- When lining the pastry moulds / tins, allow the dough to overhang for the initial pre-baking, and trim off the excess once it’s set. This will off-set the tendency to shrink when the dough hits the heat.
- Keep the scraps of raw dough for repairs, just in case. If your pastry cracks when lining the tin, simply patch it with scraps and smooth it as thinly as possible. If you have cracks in a pre-baked crust, or low points where the dough has shrunk down the sides of the tin, apply the raw dough while the crust is still warm, and smooth it with your finger so it is as unobtrusive as possible.
- If you roll the dough between layers of cling film, you can easily transfer it to tin, or to the fridge if needed. This also eliminates the excess flour that can be taken up on rolling the dough, which can toughen it and diminish its flavour and texture.
- Roll between cling film to avoid the necessity for excess flour.
- Excess flour makes for tough and unpalatable dough, so add as little as possible when rolling.
- When rolling, avoid making the centre thicker than the rest of the pastry. Correct any raggedly splitting edges to your circle by rolling the pin back and forth over the edges a couple of times to smooth them.
- Pan size: A recipe should be calculated to give you just enough pastry to work with the size of the pan indicated for that recipe. If your pan is too deep, or that little bit too large, your dough will have to stretch farther, which means rolling it thinner. A thin crust is generally nicer to eat than a thick one, but it needs to be thick enough to have structural integrity: too thin and it could break once the tart is filled, or on handling. If your pan size is smaller than the one called for in the recipe, be aware that you may be rolling it thicker than is optimum, and adjust by focussing on the thickness rather than the overall size of the pastry ‘circle’; you may end up with a larger circle than you need and have to trim down. That is preferable to a too-thick crust, and you can re-roll the scraps if you rest them well first.
- As a general rule, you will need about one ounce of raw pastry for each inch of pan size, or 30g per 2.5cm of pan size. If you are baking an 11-inch /28cm tart, for example, you will need to increase the ingredients for the amount of pâte sucrée given here for a 9-inch / 23cm pan, by about one-fourth again.
- Quality of butter: some butters have higher water content that others, and using them means your dough will have more moisture from the start, even before you add the liquid called for in your recipe. Check the labelling on your butter: better butters have at least 82% butterfat content.
- Using all butter creates a crisper, and many say more flavourful, dough.
- A mix of butter and vegetable shortening or lard creates a more manageable dough, which can be easier to roll out.
- The addition of an egg yolk in the pastry dough, instead of or with water, makes a short crust harder and stronger (good for wet fillings, and for pastry with nuts or other additional ingredients).
- The more fat and sugar in the dough, the softer and more difficult it will be to roll, but it can be repaired and patted into place quite easily if it breaks.
- Very lightly butter your tins, and also the parchment paper when blind-baking or part-baking. This makes it easier to remove the paper, and remove the finished tart from the tin.
- Excellent results are easily achievable by mixing pastry by hand, and there’s less washing-up. But if you prefer to use a food processor, do not go too fine — pulse just enough to keep some larger crumbs as when blending by hand — and transfer the mixture to a bowl before adding the water. This helps avoid adding too much water (you’ll be able to feel with your hands how wet the dough is) and over-mixing the dough, both of which are easier mistakes to make when using the machine.
RECIPES
I. Sweet short-crust pastry (pâte sucrée)
Adapted from Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook
Makes enough for one 23cm (9-inch) tart shell, serving 8
This is a great all-butter short-crust for tarts (and even pies, if you want an all-butter crust). It’s just slightly sweetened and has a wonderful flavour thanks to the butter, lemon zest and vanilla. It is richer than the average pastry, so is more fragile, but it is also easy to repair as needs be. It is easiest to roll this dough between two layers of cling film, as you can easily put it in the fridge to chill briefly if it starts to stick; and this also makes it easier to roll thin enough, without having to add extra flour that would make it dry and tough.
This recipe explains how to make short-crust pastry by hand. If you use a food processor to mix your pastry, do not go too fine—pulse just enough to keep some larger crumbs as described for mixing by hand, and transfer the crumbs to a bowl to add the water. You’ll be able to control the amount of moisture better and also avoid over-mixing.
Ingredients:
- 165g (1¼ cups sifted) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 15g (1 tablespoon) caster sugar
- Scant ½ teaspoon cooking salt
- Finely grated zest of half a lemon
- 140g (5 ounces, or 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes – cold, but not rock hard
- 1 tablespoon iced water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, lightly mix the flour, salt, sugar and lemon zest.
- Add the cubes of butter. Using both hands, incorporate them into the flour by flattening the butter cubes between your fingertips and thumbs, aiming to create long, flat pieces of flour-coated butter. Try not to rub the same particles back and forth, which would overwork them. Use as light a touch as you can, as over-handling will make the dough tough and oily. You should end up with a rough, sand-like texture with some larger pea-sized flakes. It’s not necessary to achieve a wholly uniform crumb, as a few larger pieces of butter help create flakiness.
- Mix the vanilla into the tablespoon of iced water, and drizzle it evenly over the flour/butter mixture. Using a fork or two table knives, lightly stir the dough until the crumbs just stick together when pinched. They should need a little encouragement to come together, but should hold and not crumble. If you feel you need a little more water, add it very, very gradually, just a few drops. The dough should not be pasty or wet, as this will make it heavy; but neither should it break apart.
- Before you gather it into a ball, give the dough one or two gentle ‘kneads’ on a work surface: gently flatten the loose dough in one direction using the heel of your hand. This will help lengthen the pockets of butter to create flakiness. Do this flattening action just once or twice, however, as over-kneading will develop the gluten in the flour and make the dough tough and liable to shrinkage.
- Now, working with a light hand, gather the dough into a shallow disk ready for rolling out, and wrap in cling film; or if making individual tarts, divide the dough into four smaller disks now and wrap separately. Refrigerate for at least an hour. You can make it as much as two days ahead, or freeze it and thaw still wrapped. When ready to roll the dough, it should be cold, but let it sit out of the fridge for a few minutes to soften slightly if it is very hard; otherwise it will tend to break when you start rolling.
II. Tarte au citron (French lemon tart)
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, Jan/Feb 2000
Makes one 23-cm (9-inch) tart, serving 8
This recipe requires fully baking (‘baking blind’ ) a sweetened short-crust pastry-shell, then filling it with a homemade lemon curd mixture, and baking again briefly to set the filling.
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe rested sweet short crust pastry sufficient for one 23-cm (9-in) tart shell
- 7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large whole eggs
- 225g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) caster sugar
- 160ml (⅔ cup) strained lemon juice (from 4-5 medium lemons)
- The finely grated zest of the lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
- A pinch of cooking salt
- 60g (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 50ml (3 tablespoons) cold double cream
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5/375F to part-cook the pastry shell.
- To prepare the tart shell: Roll the rested pastry between 2 sheets of cling film, or on a lightly floured pastry board, into a circle about 28cm (11 inches) in diameter — about 5cm (2 inches) larger in diameter than your pastry tin). Aim for a thickness of about 6mm (¼ inch) thick. Avoid making the centre thicker than the sides, and don’t use more flour in the rolling than you must.
- Lightly butter the tart tin and wipe off the excess. Line the tin with the rolled pastry, and press it gently into the sides with your fingers, leaving the excess to hang over the edges for now. Trim off any unwieldy excess and save the scraps in case you need to do any repairs. ‘Dock’ the base of the pastry with a fork to create steam holes and cover it lightly with cling film and refrigerate to rest for a minimum of an hour or the day before. While it’s resting, prepare ingredients for the lemon curd filling.
- When ready to proceed, lightly butter a sheet of parchment paper large enough to fit inside the tart shell, scrunch it up, and then unfold it and place it buttered side against the pastry to act as a liner. Tuck it gently into the sides and edges, too, and fill with baking weights to keep the bottom of the pastry flat when baking.
- Bake for an initial 15-18 minutes or until set in the centre and slightly golden on the edges, rotating it once in the oven for even cooking. Remove from the oven and carefully take out the parchment lining and the baking weights. If it looks set, proceed. If it’s still undercooked, give it 5 minutes longer with the weights. Assuming it is set, protect your hands against the hot tart tin and carefully trim off the overhanging crust. Do this by running a sharp knife nearly flat along the edge, so the remaining crust is level with the top of the tart tin.
- Return the naked shell to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so, or until the pastry is a light golden all over. The bottom, especially the centre, does need to have some definite colour; but don’t let the shell get too dark, as it will have another 10-15 minutes in the oven with the lemon filling. When the shell goes into the oven, start to cook the lemon filling.
- To cook the lemon curd filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together for a few seconds the sugar, egg yolks and whole eggs, until combined. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt, whisking again to combine. Once the ingredients for the curd are combined, you must proceed with the cooking, as a delay can give it a grainy finish (the egg proteins will start to cook in the acid from the lemon juice).
- Transfer the mixture to a solid-bottom, non-reactive, medium-sized saucepan, or in the top of a double boiler, and add the butter pieces. It will look curdled at this point, but will emulsify as the butter melts. Wash and dry the bowl as you will need it for straining the curd once cooked.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and scraping the sides to ensure it doesn’t boil or form lumps. Continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, stirring and scraping all the while, until the curd thickens enough to fairly thickly coat a spoon – it should register 77C/170F on an instant-read thermometer. Never let it boil or it will curdle. When it is thick enough, you should be able to just mound the curd with a spoon, and will be able to see the bottom of the pan cleanly when you scrape. (By now your tart shell should be just out of the oven and still warm. If it has cooled, return it to the oven to warm for a couple of minutes.)
- Remove the thickened curd from the heat and straight away pour it through a medium strainer set over the clean bowl. This will remove the zest and any pieces of cooked egg.
- Add the cream to the warm curd in the bowl, and stir gently just until it’s completely incorporated. Pour the curd into the still-warm, pre-baked tart shell. The reason for having the shell still warm is to avoid steam developing when the warm curd hits the shell: both components should be similar temperatures to avoid a soggy crust. (If you make the curd and the crust in advance, bring them together when both are room temperature, and give the tart about 5 minutes longer to bake in the oven, looking for the same signs of doneness as above.)
- Bake 10-15 minutes until the filling is shiny and opaque, and the centre 7 cm (3 inches) of the tart jiggles slightly when shaken. Cool to room temperature on a rack to avoid steam making the bottom soggy.
- Remove the cooled tart from its mould by setting it over a tin of beans or similar, and gently pushing the ring of the mould down. Use a long metal spatula or blunt knife to separate the bottom of the tart from the base of the tin, and transfer to a serving plate or cutting board.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled, and slice with a long serrated knife. Wipe the knife between cuts for a clean finish. This tart is best made the same day you intend to serve it, but it will still taste great the next day, though it will collect some moisture in the fridge. Store it wrapped, but allow it to come to room temperature before chilling to discourage condensation.
III. Savoury short crust pastry with parmesan and chives
Makes enough for four 13cm (5-inch) tartlets, or one 20cm (8-inch) tart shell, serving 6
This dough is full of flavour, and you can vary it with different herbs or cheeses for many kinds of savoury tart (but don’t exceed the ratios of fat to flour). It is easiest to roll this dough between two layers of cling film, as you can easily put it in the fridge to chill briefly if it starts to stick; and this also makes it easier to roll thin enough, without having to add extra flour that would make it dry and tough.
This recipe explains how to make short-crust pastry by hand. If you use a food processor to mix your pastry, do not go too fine—pulse just enough to keep some larger crumbs as described for mixing by hand, and transfer the crumbs to a bowl to add the water. You’ll be able to control the amount of moisture better and also avoid over-mixing.
Ingredients:
- 200g ( 1½ cups sifted) plain flour
- 5g (1 teaspoon) caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cooking salt
- 25g finely grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon finely snipped chives
- 140g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes – cold, but not rock hard
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon iced water – plus a very little more if needed
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, lightly mix the flour, salt, sugar, parmesan and chives.
- Add the cubes of butter. Using both hands, incorporate them into the flour by flattening the butter cubes between your fingertips and thumbs, aiming to create long, flat pieces of flour-coated butter. Try not to rub the same particles back and forth, which would overwork them. Use as light a touch as you can, as over-handling will make the dough tough and oily. You should end up with a rough, sand-like texture with some larger pea-sized flakes. It’s not necessary to achieve a wholly uniform crumb, as a few larger pieces of butter help create flakiness.
- Mix the egg yolk with the tablespoon of iced water, and drizzle it evenly over the flour / butter mixture. Using a fork or two table knives, lightly stir the dough until the crumbs just stick together when pinched. If you feel you need a little more water, add it very, very gradually, just a few drops. The dough should not be pasty or wet, as this will make it heavy; but neither should it break apart.
- Before you gather it into a ball, give the dough one or two gentle ‘kneads’ on a work surface: gently flatten the loose dough in one direction using the heel of your hand. This will help lengthen the pockets of butter to create flakiness. Do this flattening action just once or twice, however, as over-kneading will develop the gluten in the flour and make the dough tough and liable to shrinkage.
- Now, working with a light hand, gather the dough into a circular, shallow disk ready for rolling, and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least an hour. You can make it as much as two days ahead, or freeze it and thaw still wrapped before using.
Makes four 10-cm (4-inch) tartlets, or one 20cm (8-inch) tart, serving 5-6
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe short crust pastry with parmesan and chives, as given above
- 300g (10.5 ounces, or one heaped cup) white crab meat
- 8-10 green onions (spring onions or scallions), peeled of any hard outer skin and sliced into thin rings (include dark green tops if in good shape)
- About 4 tablespoons finely minced celery heart and 1 tablespoon chopped leaves (keep the two separate)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 185ml (¾ cup) full-fat crème fraîche or 125ml (½ cup) heavy (double) cream –less cream is needed than crème fraîche
- 1 large egg yolk
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons sherry; a pinch of cayenne or 3-4 drops of Tabasco
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt and a few grindings of black or white peppercorns
- 85g (3 ounces) grated Gruyère, Comté or cheddar cheese, finely grated
Directions:
Prepare the pastry shells:
- Very lightly butter four 10-cm (4-inch) tartlet tins, or one 20cm (8-inch) tart tin; wipe off excess butter with kitchen towel.
- Check the temperature of your short crust dough: you want it still cool, but not too hard from the fridge or it could crack on rolling. For the tartlets, roll one-quarter of the dough at a time. Roll the dough between two sheets of cling film, rolling outwards from the centre, and rotating the dough in the cling film for evenness. You are aiming for a thickness of about 6mm (¼ inch), and each piece should be large enough to overhang your tin/s by about 2.5cm (1 inch).
- Line your prepared tin/s with the dough, allowing the excess to overhang for now. Trim any bits that seem excessive, and save those scraps in case you need to do any repairs. Prick the bottom of the tart shell/s a few times with a fork to create steam holes. Refrigerate for at least an hour to relax the dough and prevent shrinkage. Prepare the filling while the dough is chilling, and set the oven temperature to 190C/gas mark 5/375F when ready to proceed.
- To pre-bake the rested pastry shell/s, very lightly butter, and then scrunch up into a tight ball, pieces of baking parchment large enough to fit into your tin/s. Unscrunch to lay flat onto the chilled pastry, buttered side down, carefully getting into the sides/edges as well. Fill the lined shell/s with baking weights to keep the pastry flat while it bakes. Trim off any excess parchment paper.
- Bake 10-15 minutes until the dough is set (no longer puffs up) and beginning to brown slightly on the edges. Remove the pastry shell/s from the oven and carefully remove the parchment with the baking weights. Set the shell/s, still in the tin/s, on a cooling rack until ready to fill. If there are any tears or holes in the shell/s, make repairs with a small amount of raw dough while the cooked pastry is still warm. Trim off the overhanging crust by scraping a sharp knife nearly flat along the edge, so the remaining crust is level with the top of the tin.
Prepare the crab filling:
- Gently soften the spring onion and chopped celery heart in the butter in a small pan over medium heat, about 1 minute; don’t let it colour. Cool, and add the chopped celery leaves, a little sea salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Stir together the crème fraîche and egg yolk in a medium bowl until well mixed, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper; add sherry and Tabasco or cayenne, if using, and the cooled green onion and celery, and finally the crab meat. Mix well.
- Into the part-baked pastry shell/s, evenly distribute half the grated cheese, and then spoon in the crab meat mixture. Smooth the tops, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake tartlets for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is set, the pastry is crisp on the bottom, and the cheese has lightly browned. If baking one larger tart, increase baking time to around 25-35 minutes.
- Remove to a rack to cool slightly, carefully remove the tart/s from the tin/s. It may help to place each tart over a tin of beans or similar and then press down to remove it from the mould. To separate the finished tart/s from the tin, run a metal spatula or blunt kitchen knife between the bottom of the tart/s and the base of the mould, and slide the tart/s off onto a serving plate. The timings here should be adequate to brown the bottom of the tart/s, but should you find that the bottom is still underbaked once you’ve removed the tart/s from their mould/s, place directly onto a parchment-covered baking sheet for another 5 minutes out of the mould/s.
- Serve warm. Should you have any leftover, refrigerate immediately and reheat thoroughly the next day.
Variations:
To vary the flavour of the filling, you could add a scant ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard or a pinch of mild curry powder; or use fresh chilli, coriander and a squeeze of lime. A teaspoon of finely chopped fresh dill is a good addition with prawns or salmon instead of, or with, the crabmeat. Lobster tail meat also works beautifully in these tartlets, with the sherry and cayenne, topped with cheese. For vegetarian tartlets, sauté 2-3 sliced leeks instead of spring onion, add a touch of curry powder to the cream and egg, and use crumbled goat cheese.
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Other short crust recipes on Crumbs on the Table:
- Blueberry pie
- Chez Panisse almond tart
- Strawberry custard tart with white chocolate drizzle
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