Comments on: the great unshrinkable sweet tart shell

By: Kailee

Kailee — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:38:49 +0000

My husband and I received some tart pans for our wedding back in August. Frankly, I’ve been too intimidated to make a tart crust, but the pans have been calling out to me recently. This crust was so easy! Your instructions are very helpful. It turned out beautifully!

I filled mine with your whole lemon tart recipe. In a word, perfection. I’m a sucker for lemon desserts anyway, but it was sublime. You can be sure I will be taking on another of your tart recipes in the near future!

By: deb

deb — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:56:45 +0000

Hi Jess — I did not because I do have a FP, of course, and it really does make it easiest. However, without a FP, I’d probably skip over the KA instructions for the reasons you suggested (I’ve pulled it off before but it is more difficult) and go straight to cutting butter into flour with a pastry blender. I love love love using a pastry blender above all else.

By: Jess

Jess — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:41:25 +0000

Deb, I’m comparing your adaptation side by side with Dorie’s recipe. When you were working on this recipe, did you try her method of creaming the butter first, then adding the dry ingredients and the egg? If so, what result? I ask because I don’t have a food processor and am going to do this in my stand mixer instead, and I’ve always had a hard time getting butter to achieve the desired oatmeal flakes/peas consistency in my stand mixer. Thanks!

By: Rene Rodgers

Rene Rodgers — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:18:33 +0000

I know I’m late to the party here, but I’ve recently found an extremely easy and delicious tart dough from David Lebovitz. Instead of cutting in fat he learned from a friend in Paris to melt the butter in the oven and then add in the flour. It’s incredibly easy and incredibly yummy!

By: deb

deb — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:42:27 +0000

Hi Maya — My *guess* is that it is a combination of not having have water in the dough (like a lot of pie and pastry doughs do, which would simply evaporate when cooked) and that there’s something in that freezing/foil process. I’ve used the freezing/foil process since when a par-baked pie dough (I use a butter, flour and water recipe) and it does shrink a lot less than it used to with weights, but still more than this dough, which doesn’t have water.

By: Maya

Maya — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:54:54 +0000

Oh my, I am so psyched to find your blog on this subject. There just have been too many heartaches in the past. So what is really the reason that this tart recipe doesn’t shrink? I am hoping to adapt this for my linzertorte recipe that calls for ground hazelnut. Any suggestions?

By: Capricia

Capricia — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:31:06 +0000

I’ve made this twice now and it ends up pretty hard every time. It tastes great though! Should I bake for less time?

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:51:56 +0000

It works! I am making mini-tarts, mini-pies and mini-cheesecakes for Thanksgiving dinner and doing as much of it in advance as possible. My first batch of mini-tart shells came out perfect and are sturdy enough that I can store them, fully baked, in the freezer for the next 2 weeks. I’m not sure I’ll ever WANT to eat a pie crust again when this tastes so much better! Thanks for the recipe and tips. Now I need to figure out which of your fillings to use. Love it!

By: JS

JS — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:51:46 +0000

Woo hoo! Then it’s Tart City this weekend, and I’m the Mayor.

By: deb

deb — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:51:47 +0000

It all works out in the end. The holes always close up, or remain so pin-like, nothing leaks.