Makesenough for 1 single-crust pie or tart
- Active time:15 min
- Start to finish:1 1/4 hr
November 2008
With just a touch of sugar, this tender crust cradles the pastry cream and glazed-pear filling especially well.
-
1 1/3
cups
all-purpose flour
-
2
tablespoons
sugar
-
1/4
teaspoon
salt
-
1
stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
-
1
large egg yolk
-
1 1/2 to 2
tablespoons
ice water
-
Stir together flour, sugar, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Stir together egg yolk and 1 1/2 Tbsp water and drizzle evenly over butter mixture. Gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
-
Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add remaining 1/2 Tbsp ice water, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
-
Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat.
-
Gather all dough into a ball, with a pastry scraper if you have one, then flatten into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.
Cooks’ note: Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.
