Pastry for Pies, Tarts, Flans

Pastry Secrets

1. Measure ingredients accurately. Flour should be sifted before measuring. Use the specified measuring cup and level off dry ingredients with a straight edge.
2. To measure shortening or lard for pastry, cut from a one-pound (2 cup) block when possible. If recipe calls for 1 cup, cut the block exactly in half. For a half-cup, use 1/4 of the full pound; for 1/4 cup use 1/8th of a pound.
3. Shortening should be thoroughly blended into flour to a meal-like consistency, don't leave big clumps of shortening.
4. Too much water makes pastry tough, so measure and add only as much as needed to make a soft crumbly dough. After adding the water, don't over-mix. Use a fork with a light motion to mix in liquid. It's okay if the mixture is crumbly as long as it forms a dough when pressed together.
5. Wrap the dough in paper and refrigerate at least a few minutes before rolling out, if possible chill an hour before rolling, especially if dough seems too damp.
6. Avoid using too much flour on rolling pin and pastry cloth or parchment paper when rolling out, a light dusting should be enough.

Tenderflake Perfect Pastry

This is the recipe my mother always used for pies and tarts, and so do I, using Maple Leaf Tenderflake Lard.

Use all-purpose flour and even though it is pre-sifted, sift it again into a bowl before measuring.For most accurate results don't scoop out the flour, spoon it from the bowl into the measuring cup and level with a straight edge.

Using a pastry blender is easier and better than using the two knives method, so if you're going to make pies, buy a sturdy pastry blender that will last years.

Makes three 9-inch double-crust pies or 6 pie shells.

• 6 cups pastry flour (1.4 L) or 5-1/2 cups (1.3 L) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 lb (454 grams) pure lard
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• water

1. Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut in lard with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
3. In a 1-cup (250 ml) measure, combine 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 egg. Add enough water to make 1 cup of liquid. Gradually stir liquid into flour and lard mixture, adding only enough liquid to make dough cling together.
4. Gather dough into a ball and divide into 6 portions. Wrap portions you won't be using right away and refrigerate or freeze them (see below).
5. Roll out each portion on lightly floured surface. (Mom used a floured cotton sheet, I use floured parchment paper.) If dough is sticking, wrap in parchment paper and chill 1-2 hours then roll.
6. Transfer rolled-out dough to pie plate. Trim and flute shells or crusts and bake according to your pie recipe.

To store dough in the fridge:

Wrap rounds of dough with foil or heavy plastic wrap. Should keep in fridge up to a week. When ready to roll out, leave wrapped dough at room temperature about 15 minutes or until pliable.

To store dough in the freezer:

Pastry will keep in the freezer 4-5 months. Wrap then label with best before date. It can be stored as unrolled dough, rolled out dough, or as unbaked or baked pies in the freezer.

Store unrolled dough in individual portions. Make sure each round is well wrapped to minimize moisture loss. Defrost at room temperature for about an hour or until pliable.

To freezer rolled out, roll out individual portions and stack on a baking sheet separated by parchment paper, or place in a foil pie plate. Wrap well before freezing. Defrost at room temperature. If using rolled out pastry portions frozen on a baking sheet, make sure dough is pliable before placing in pie plates or the dough might break or tear.

To freeze unbaked fruit pies, increase the cornstarch or flour slightly in the recipe to allow for the increase in juices that occur during defrosting and cooking. Wrap before freezing. You can bake the pies directly from frozen as long as your pie plate can tolerate temperature change from the freezer to the oven.

For baked pies with filling that can be frozen, wrap cooled baked pies and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Defrosted pie can be warmed slightly in the oven prior to serving.

Basic Food Processor Tart Crust (for Blind-Baking in a Flan Pan)

Makes 2 single flan crusts, so you'll need 2 flan pans if baking both right away.

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg yolk

1. Combine flour and slat in the food processor.
2. Add butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas.
3. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 1/2 cup cold water.
4. Drizzle the liquid into the food processor while pulsing to combine.
5. Pulse until dough holds together when you pinch it, adding liquid as needed.
6. Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Divide in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, flattening into a disk. Chill until cold or ready to use, about 30 minutes.
7. On a floured surface or piece of floured parchment paper, roll dough to 3/16 inch thick and large enough to fit in the flan (tart) pan. Pinch edges of dough as you roll to prevent cracks and tears.
8. Gently lift dough into place in tart pan without stretching. Use the heel of your hand to trim the edges flush with the pan. 
9. Freeze dough in the pan for 20 minutes if blind baking (baking the crust without filling.)
10. For blind baking, heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the chilled crust with aluminum foil, pressing foil into the corners. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and place on a baking sheet.
11. Bake util crust is set and just starting to brown, about 30 minutes.
12. Remove foil lining and weights. Return crust to oven to brown evenly, 5-10 minutes more.
13. Cool completely, then remove blind-baked crust from the tart pan

Pat-in-a-Pan Pastry for a Baked Crust

An unrolled pastry recipe also known as "No Fail Pie Crust" for a 9-inch pie. If you're quick, you can get this in the oven in 5 minutes. In my opinion it's not the best-tasting crust but it's quick.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1-1/2 cups sifted white flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• cooking oil spray

1. Mix together shortening, sugar, flour and salt with a fork until it looks like corn meal.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of water, one spoon at a time, until dough sticks together.
3. Spray a 9-inch pie pan with vegetable spray and plop the dough in the pan.
4. Mash the batter into the pan starting at the edges.
5. Prick bottom with a fork and bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until it turns golden.

Food Processor Pie Dough for a Single 10-inch Pie

A sweet, rich butter pastry  for single-crust fruit pies.

Partially baking the crust before adding fruit prevents the pastry from getting soggy.

Use a 10-inch flan pan with removable bottom.

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp water
• parchment paper
• dry beans or pie weights for baking

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar and salt in the food processor.
3. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Add egg yolk, lemon juice and water.
5. Pulse until combined but still loose.
6. Transfer to a bowl and combine together into a ball.
7. On a lightly floured board, roll out into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle.
8. Roll dough back onto the rolling pin so it is loosely wrapped around.
9. Lift and unroll onto a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
10. Press dough into edges, using scraps to patch any holes.
11. Prick base all over with a fork.
12. Freeze for 30 minutes.
13. Line the interior of the Sweet Pastry with parchment paper and fill with dry beans to weight down the crust.
14. Bake 15 minutes for a partially baked crust.
15. Remove from oven and remove beans and parchment (then fill with fruit and continue as per recipe).
16. For a fully baked crust, return crust to oven and bake a further 5 to 10 minutes or until pale gold.

Single Crust Rich Pastry

Makes a sturdy crust that can be rolled out to an 8 inch round or rectangle and cut in rounds or squares to make large tarts or in squares to top baked apples in ramekins (instructions below).

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1/4 cup shortening

1. In a large, bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1/4 cup butter and shortening until pieces are pea-size.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup  milk, egg yolk, 1 Tbsp water.
3. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir with a fork until combined. Gather with hands and knead gently until dough is formed. Divide dough in half.
4. Roll each half into an 8 x 8 inch round or square about 1/8 inch thick and use a pizza cutter to cut in 4 squares or a pastry cutter to cut in rounds. Cover so pastry doesn't dry out if not using right away.

To use on baked apples: 

1. Wash, core and peel 8 small baking apples and place each in a 6 oz oven-proof ramekin.
2. Fill hollow core of apple with caramel sauce or chopped nuts and a brown sugar + cinnamon +nutmeg mixture, put a dab of butter on each and a squeeze of lemon juice.
3. Put ramekins on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Top apples with a square of pastry. (To make ahead, at this point apples can be covered with plastic wrap and chilled up to 24 hours but make sure you use the lemon juice or apples will brown.)
5. Whisk together egg white and 1 Tbsp water, brush over pastry.
6. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender.
7. Let pan stand on wire rack 20 minutes.
8. Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Sweet Butter Pastry for Tarts (Manual Pastry Blender Method)

A recipe for baked pastry shells to which you add the cooked filling later--like tarts filled with custard and topped with fresh fruit. Makes 8-10.

• 1-1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
• 7 Tbsp (100 grams) very cold butter
• 2 tbsp (30 grams) sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 tsp of water

1. Sift  flour, sugar and salt directly onto a wide, cold bowl.
2. Cut very cold butter into small pieces.
3. Mix butter into the flour using a pastry blender.
4. Once the dough has the texture of coarse sand, create a well in the center by using a cup or glass. 
5. Pour egg and water into the well.
6. Using a fork, swirl the egg and slowly incorporate the flour into the centre.
7. Once most of the flour has been incorporated start using your hands.
8. Knead the dough into a round ball.
9. Take a small handful of the dough at a time, and, using the palm of your hand, smear it out completely onto a marble countertop or other cold surface to make sure the butter is fully incorporated into the dough.
10. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have a pile of chunks of dough.
11. Gently knead and form into a flat disc.
12. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
13. Take out 10 minutes before using.
14. In the meantime, make the desired cooked filling.
15. Preheat oven to 375F.
16. Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4 inch thick.
17. Cut out large circles of dough to fit individual mini tart molds.
18. Butter the molds and gently place the dough inside.
19. Pour in the filling until 3/4 full and bake for 15 minutes.
20. Set to cool on a cooling rack and unmold a few minutes later.

Rich and Sweet Pastry for Fewer  Fancy Tarts

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp shortening
• 1 egg yolk from a large egg
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp cold water

1. Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
2. Cut butter and shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.
3. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cutting in with a scissor-like motion, blend butter and shortening into flour thoroughly.
4. Beat the egg yolk slightly and to it add the lemon juice and water.
5. Add egg mixture a little at a time to the flour mixture, dropping the liquid here and there over the mixture so it will be better distributed, and blending in lightly with a fork. Mixture will be crumbly.
6. Turn out on lightly floured pastry cloth or parchment paper and press dough together into a ball. Knead lightly for 15 seconds, turning dough over 4 or 5 times.
7. Roll out with lightly floured rolling pin on lightly floured surface and use as required in recipe.

Butter Tarts and Cherry Tarts

Mom makes cherry and butter tartlets for family celebrations. The small cherry tarts are so pretty, it's hard to resist popping one in your mouth. 

She uses lard to make her pastry, and says Maple Leaf Tenderflake Lard was better than no-name. versions. 

Make your pastry dough first because it has to be chilled before rolling out.

The recipe for Marilyn's "Perfect Pastry" Dough 

Printed on the yellow Tenderflake Lard box, it's basically:

1. Sift into a large bowl:

•  5-1/2 cups pastry flour or  6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

2. Cut in:

• the box of Tenderflake Lard (1 lb or 454 grams)

3. In a measuring cup, beat:

• 1 large egg, add
• 1 Tbsp vinegar, add
• enough cold water to equal 1 cup liquid.

4.  Add liquid to lard and flour mixture.

     With a fork, blend only enough to make a dough.

5.  Shape into a disc, cut in half, make into 2 rounds.

     Wrap in plastic wrap.

6.  Refrigerate to cool before rolling (15-30 minutes.)

If lard can't be used, here is a substitute from the makers of Crisco vegetable shortening:

Vegetable Shortening No-Fail Pastry Dough

Recipe makes enough for 1 batch of raisin butter tart tartlets. To make raisin tarts and cherry tarts, double this recipe.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt

Cut in with pastry blender, until mixture resembles uniform, coarse crumbs:

• 1 cup all-vegetable shortening (Crisco)

In a measuring cup or small bowl, beat:

• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

With a fork, stir liquid into flour mixture.

With clean hands, press dough into a round, cut in half, make two 4" rounds.

Wrap the 2 rounds in plastic wrap, refrigerate 15 minutes.

Roll each portion of dough separately, on flour-dusted parchment paper, with a flour-dusted rolling pin.

Cut dough into tart rounds using a round cookie cutter or inverted glass, about 2-1/2 inch in diameter for most mini tartlet pans (cut to fit yours).

Cherry Tartlets

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out pastry dough and cut pastry rounds to fit tartlet pans, using a round cookie cutter or the edge of a juice glass to cut the rounds.

Fill with cherry pie filling,* making sure there is at least 1 cherry in each tartlet.

Bake in preheated 425 degree F oven 8 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Continue baking until pastry edges are just barely browned.

Mom uses E.D. Smith Cherry Pie Filling. I've also made my own using frozen cherries cooked with a little water and sugar and thickened with cornstarch, then cooled. You can substitute blueberry pie filling too.

If my mom had leftover pastry dough, she'd let the kids roll it out themselves, spread with jam, and roll up. Bake in the oven while the tarts are baking. Watch carefully--they  bake faster than the tarts. Jam will be very hot out of the oven, so make sure they're cool before letting the kids eat these pastry creations.

Raisins

Purists say butter tarts are tarts with a butter/syrup filling, no raisins allowed.

When our family refers to butter tarts, we mean tarts made with raisins.

Great-Aunt Isabel's butter tarts were syrupy, with a thicker, shortening-based pastry dough. 

Marilyn's butter tarts had a flaky lard-based pastry dough with a chewier raisin butter tart filling.

Both used brown Thompson raisins, which are sun-dried longer than Sultanas to achieve a darker colour and unique flavour. Thompsons are usually used in butter tart filling and in raisin bread. 

Sultana raisins are made from light golden or green grapes.

Some brands are dipped in hot water and treated with sulfur dioxide to retain a golden colour.

Others are treated with potassium carbonate and an olive oil solution.

Organic Sultanas are made by sun-drying seedless light golden or green grapes.

Use sultanas in hot cross buns and recipes where a fruity or honey-like burst of sweetness works, but not in Marilyn's butter tarts.

Marilyn's Butter Tarts

This is the butter tart filling mom uses when she makes regular-sized butter tarts.

This filling has less syrup than other recipes but the raisins won't be dry after baking if you pre-soak them.

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tbsps. milk
• 2 cups Thomson (brown) raisins
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• unbaked tart pastry shells

Cover raisins with very hot water and let stand 5 minutes.

Drain very well. Let stand.

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.*

Cream butter and brown sugar.

Mix in milk, eggs, vanilla and raisins.

Spoon into unbaked tart shells .

Bake in preheated 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Watch them: bake until filling bubbles and pastry is delicately golden.

*Note: The original recipe says to bake 450 degrees 8 minutes and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees until pastry is browned. Mom found they sometimes overbaked this way in her new oven and reduced the starting temperature to 375 degrees F for a better result.

Marilyn's Butter Tartlets

Filling for about 3 dozen small tarts about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

The filling is a little less runny than the filling recipe for the regular-size tarts.

All ingredients should be at room temperature, or butter may clump.

In a mixer, whip:

• 1 /3 cup softened butter

Sift or blend brown sugar to remove lumps.

Then in the mixer, add to the butter: 

• 1 cup sifted brown sugar (no lumps)

Beat until smooth and well-mixed.

Mix in:

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Stir in:

• 1/2 cup brown (Thompson) raisins (If they are not soft and plump out of the bag, pre-soak in hot water and let stand 5 minutes. Drain well and wrap in a paper towel to remove excess water.) 

Spoon filling in uncooked, pastry-lined tartlet pans.

Bake in preheated 375- 450 degree F oven* for 8 minutes.

The original recipe says to preheat oven to 450 degrees and bake for 8 minutes before reducing heat.. Mom found they sometimes overbaked in her new oven and reduced the starting temperature to 375 degrees F for 8 minutes for a better result.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Bake till pastry edges are lightly browned.

Syrupy Butter Tarts

These tarts are from Edna Staebler's 1968 Mennonite country cooking cookbook "Food That Really Schmecks".  She writes that these are, "The best tarts in the world: rich, gooey and a bit runny." 

Great-Aunt Isabel's butter tarts were like these. Isabel raised four children practically by herself and later had a job in a busy hospital, so she liked shortcuts in the kitchen and used store-bought, frozen pastry tart shells when she didn't have time to roll out dough. 

• Pastry for 8 or 10 regular-size tarts
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 large egg, beaten
• butter the size of an egg, melted
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat the egg, add the sugar and beat again.

Add the water, vanilla raisins and butter.

Drop mixture into tart shells to almost half-full.

Bake in a 450-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Golden Raisin Tarts

Sultanas are usually more expensive than brown raisins, but you might like to try making these too.

• 1/2 cup golden raisins (Sultanas)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with warm water.
Let soak 20 minutes.
Drain well and reserve. 
In a small saucepan on medium low heat, add  butter and sugar.
Stir till just melted.
Add corn syrup, vanilla extract and drained raisins.
Beat in the eggs and whisk over the heat for 5-6 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not overcook.

Makes 8-10 mini tarts