Pastry dough has scared off quite a few cooks. But with practice and information, you may find yourself enjoying the process of turning butter, sugar, and flour into a sweet, crunchy canvas. This dough, a classic French sablé, makes a crumbly rich crust similar to a killer shortbread cookie. That’s why the recipe makes enough for one 9-inch tart plus a little extra. Take those leftover scraps and roll them out as one big cookie or break out your cookie cutters—and bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 350°F.
Ingredients
- 10.125 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, PLUS MORE FOR DUSTING
- 1 CUP PLUS 1 TABLESPOON CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR
- FINE SEA SALT
- ½ POUND (2 STICKS) UNSALTED BUTTER, CHILLED AND CUT INTO ½-
- INCH CUBES
- 2 LARGE EGG YOLKS
- 1 VANILLA BEAN, SPLIT IN HALF LENGTHWISE, OR 1 TEASPOON
- VANILLA EXTRACT
- 4 CUPS LEMON CURD, CHILLED
How to Make It
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add the butter and blend on low or pulse until the butter breaks down and the mixture resembles almond meal (ground-up almonds).
- Add the egg yolks and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean. (Reserve the scraped pod for another use.) Pulse until a ball of dough starts to form.
- Dump the dough onto a work surface and gently form it into a disk, being careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a floured surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour and use it to pound the dough disk until flattened by half its height. Lightly flour the work surface, the dough, and the rolling pin again. Begin rolling out the dough, starting from the middle and working your way out to the edges. Rotate the dough and sprinkle with a bit more flour if it sticks. Continue to roll out the dough until it is a little thinner than ¼ inch. Roll the dough around the pin, then gently unroll it over a 9-inch tart pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into the edges of the pan, allowing excess dough to hang off the sides. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Remove the shell from the refrigerator or freezer and, using a knife or sharp kitchen shears, gently trim any overhanging dough and reserve it for making cookies.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and fill it with pie weights or dried beans.
- Blind bake the crust until the edges are light golden bro 15 to 20 minutes. (Blind baking is a method of parbaking a pie or tart crust. It ensures a sturdy crust that resists sogginess, especially with wetter fillings or fillings like lemon curd that do not require a long bake.) Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the pie weights along with the parchment or foil. Cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
- Pour the lemon curd into the crust and smooth with a silicone spatula. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the curd is lightly set. It may jiggle slightly when it comes out of the oven, but should hold. After it chills, it will set completely.
- Cool the tart in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and let cool completely, at least 3 hours. Slice and serve chilled.
