Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (194 page)

BOOK: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2

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To make a square or rectangular shell

Sufficient chilled puff pastry dough

A ruler or light-weight baking sheet to use as a cutting guide

A ravioli wheel or sharp knife

A baking sheet rinsed in cold water but not dried

A cup of cold water and a pastry brush

Roll out the chilled pastry 1½ inches larger than the size you want your tart to be. With cutting guide and ravioli wheel or knife, trim off rough edges all around.

Again using your guide and ravioli wheel or knife,
cut two strips ¾ inch wide from one side of pastry, and two from one end;
these will form the raised edges of the tart; set them aside. Roll up the rectangle or square of pastry on your pin, and unroll it upside down on the dampened baking sheet.

Paint top circumference of tart with a ¾-inch strip of cold water. Lay a strip of pastry on top of each side, as shown. Paint corners with cold water, and lay two final strips of pastry over each end. Trim off excess.
Seal the two layers together by pressing outside rim all around pastry with the back tines of a table fork,
and pressing top strips of pastry lightly with thumb of other hand as you go. Prick interior of pastry with fork at ⅛-inch intervals, going down to pastry sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour before proceeding; dough must be relaxed or it will not bake evenly.

(*) When chilled and firm, dough may be wrapped airtight and frozen for several months; continue with whatever your recipe, using dough in its frozen state.

Forming a round tart shell

Using
vol-au-vent
cutters, pot lids, or any convenient circular objects, pick one for the size of your eventual tart and another ¾ inch larger all around for the raised rim of the tart. Roll out pastry ⅛ inch thick and ¼ inch larger all around than the larger of your two cutting guides; lift pastry and let it shrink if it will, and extend again if necessary. Center guide on pastry and cut off excess dough.

Center the smaller guide in the pastry and cut all around it cleanly, so that this center disk can easily separate itself from the outside circle.
Divide outside circle into quarters or sixths and slide out of the way; these strips will form the raised rim of the tart. Roll disk up on pin and unroll upside down on a dampened baking sheet, pressing it out gently with fingers if necessary.

Paint a ¾-inch strip around the circumference of disk with cold water. Lay one of the strips of dough in place on the dampened circumference of disk, and paint one end of strip with cold water.
Overlap ⅜ inch of second strip on the dampened end of the first, and press lightly with fingers to seal; continue around circumference with the rest of the strips,
trimming final one to fit. Seal edges all around with back of a fork, prick the interior, and refrigerate as described in preceding directions.