PASRIES & VARIATIONS: This is another version of the basic sweet pastry dough used in making sweet flans, tarts and pie. This is my personal favourite because the recipe turns out a flaky and delicious base for dessert pies.

BASIC "SHORT-SHORT" SWEET PASTRY:

 

 

 

1½ cup flour                                       

½ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar                                       

¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes

2 tbsp. vinegar--more or less

 

 

 

Using a food processor fitted with steel blade, process the flour, sugar and salt a few seconds. Add the chilled butter and process with on/off pulses until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With machine running, drizzle vinegar through feed tube and process with on/off pulses until mixture just begins to come together. Do not over process.

 

Transfer dough onto a large piece of wax paper. Gather the corners & sides of the paper together and gently press the dough into a ball. Knead with hands a couple of times only to combine the ingredients. Flatten ball of dough out into a large round flat shape & rest it in fridge for 10 minutes.

 

It is now ready to be rolled out to fit a 9-inch tart case. Refrigerate roll-out dough in tart case for at least 30 minutes before putting in fillings.