Rich Tart Pastry

Servings: 1 9-inch tart crust; or 30 tartlet shells

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour, sifted

• 3/4 cup butter, not ice cold but not so soft that it is oily

• 3 TB sugar

• 2 tsp lemon rind

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3 hard-cooked egg yolks, mashed

• 2 raw egg yolks

Directions

1. Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the center.

2. Add all ingredients to the well. Using your finger tips, make a paste at the center of the ingredients, gradually incorporating flour to form a smooth, firm ball of dough. Work quickly so the butter does not become oily. When the sides of the bowl are left clean, the pastry is finished.

3. Wrap the ball of dough in parchment or waxed paper and chill until dough is firm enough to roll (about 1 hour).

4. Roll pastry between sheets of parchment or waxed paper.

5. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough around the pin to transfer to the tart pan.

6. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan, folding the sides in without tearing the dough and press into the sides of the pan. Roll the pin across the top of the pan to "cut" off the excess tart dough (or use a knife to trim the extra which can be rerolled and used as a lattice topping if desired).

7. To bake an unfilled tart shell, preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack at the second lowest position. Remove the tart dough from the freezer, prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Place chilled dough directly in the preheated oven so it is a cold as possible. Prick 3-4 times during the first 10 minutes of baking to prevent the bottom of the pastry from puffing up. Bake 25 minutes or until shell is golden brown.

8. To bake a filled tart shell, follow the directions according to the tart recipe (rhubarb tart or fruit tart).