Pate sablée

Serves: 8

If they like it, it serves 8 otherwise

Totaltime: 40 minutes
Additional info: for a 9- to 9 ½-inch tart pan

The French often use this classic crust for tarts. The Pâte Sablée is rich and crumbly, (Sablé is the French word for sandy). If the dough feels too firm when you're ready to roll it out, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes. If, on the other hand, the dough becomes soft and sticky while rolling, don't hesitate to re-chill it until it becomes easier to work with. Better to rechill than to add too much flour, which will damage the delicate, crisp texture of the dough. Bake the tart shell in a 9- to 9 ½-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and fluted sides about 1 to 1 1/8 inches high.

Ingredients

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes; mix in vanilla. Add the flour and the salt, and mix on medium-low speed until just combined and crumbly, about 15 seconds (do not overmix).
Pat the dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

2. Unwrap dough; lightly flour large sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and place dough in center. Roll out dough and line tart pan. Freeze dough 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, adjust one oven rack to upper-middle position and other rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chilled tart shell on cookie sheet; press 12-inch square of foil inside tart shell and fill with metal or ceramic pie weights.
Bake on lower rack 30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Carefully remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foil and pulling up and out.
Transfer cookie sheet with tart shell to upper rack and continue to bake until shell is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.
Use this tart shell for fruit tarts, and pies that do not require baking as the shell is already cooked.