One of the first recipes I ever tried from Julia’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking was pate brisee (pronounced paht bree-ZAY) which is a short pastry crust. I’ve tried variations since, but I always come back to this one. I may add in additional ingredients such as lots of cracked black pepper, rosemary, thyme or other herbs or spices, but I start here for a basic savory dough.
This recipe makes enough for one 9-inch and one 8-inch tart pan so I usually freeze one to have for a later use. (You would have plenty for a 10-inch pan. I just don’t happen to have one that size.) It will keep in the freezer for several weeks.
Julia’s Pate Brisee Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into small bits and very cold
4 Tablespoons all-vegetable shortening, chilled
Scant 1/2 cup ice water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into small bits and very cold
4 Tablespoons all-vegetable shortening, chilled
Scant 1/2 cup ice water
Place flour, salt, sugar, butter and shortening in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade (alternately, use a mixer or mix by hand). Pulse the processor 4-6 times. Turn the machine on and add the scant 1/2 cup of ice water all at one time; pulse several times until the dough begins to form a ball on the blade. Add additional drops of ice water if needed. The dough is done when it forms a ball; do not over mix.
Scrape the dough out onto a floured (preferably cooled) surface or pastry board. Using the heel of your hand, quickly press the dough down on the floured surface and away from you for about 5-6 inches. With a pastry scraper or spatula, gather the dough and knead it quickly into a smooth ball. Sprinkle with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight until it is well chilled. Uncooked dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.
Roll out the dough very quickly so that it will not soften.
Place it on a lightly floured cold surface. If it is too hard, work it slightly with your hands or flatten by pounding with a rolling pin. Knead it (only briefly) into a fairly flat circle. Lightly flour the surface.
Roll out with a rolling pin always rolling away from you. Life the dough and turn it a quarter of a turn before each roll. Add a light dusting of flour whenever needed to prevent sticking. Use as soon as it has been rolled out.
Butter the pie pan. I think it is easier to roll the dough around the rolling pin in order to move it to the pan. You can also gently fold it into quarters and move it into the pie plate, centering the point of the old in the middle of the pan. Smooth the dough over the bottom and sides of the pan and trim or create a decorative edge.
I use a two-piece 9– inch tart pan with a removable ring, but you can use a regular pie plate, flan ring or spring form pan.
For a quiche, partially bake the crust; fully bake the crust if using for tarts that are using a cooked filling or fresh fruit .
To cook: line the pastry with buttered parchment paper pressing it well against the sides of the pastry. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Refrigerate if not baking immediately.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
For a partially- cooked crust, prick the crust with a fork about every 1/2-inch or so. Cook on the middle rack of the oven for about 8 minutes, remove the parchment paper and beans, prick again to prevent rising, and return to the oven for 2 – 3 minutes more. Remove the crust just as it begins to color and shrink from the sides of the pan. Do not unmold at this time.
For a fully- cooked crust, follow the same instructions except cook for an additional 7 – 8 minutes after the second pricking with the fork until the crust is lightly browned. Unmold the fully-cooked crust as it comes from the oven and place on a cake rack to cool.
Trust me,Trust Julia. This crust will make a world of difference with your quiches and tarts.
Pate Brise’e Sucre’e (Sweet Short Pastry) is made the same way except that the sugar is increased to 1 Tablespoon.
Come back next week for Making Quiche With Julia: Part 2 (filling)
(Tech Help: I know there is a way to get the carat ^ above letters, but I could never get it to work in Live Writer. Any ideas?)
Want to know more about Julia? Watch this brief biography.
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You can watch Martha make her version which is slightly different than Julia’s (Don’t you just love than I am on a first-name basis with each of these icons?)
Excellent! Everyone who wants to make a quiche should read this.
Thank you!
Tumbleweed-contessa makes an excellent point… everyone who wants to make a quiche SHOULD read this… especially the part about making your own pastry. I’ve never done that before and am a big worried about all the butter and shortening. Then again, life is short, right?