The Baking Answer Book (34 page)

Q
What kind of dough is best for a freeform tart? What is the best way to shape it so the fruit juices won’t run onto the baking sheet and the bottom of the oven?

A
Aside from being a good option when you don’t have a tart pan, a freeform tart is just right when local fruit is at its peak and you want to showcase it on top of a simple pastry dough. Less formal than a tart made in a fluted pan, it is a lovely choice for casual summertime entertaining.

Dough for a freeform tart needs to be sturdy, to keep its shape in the oven without the help of a pan. Rolled out, it should be thicker than dough destined for a pie plate or tart shell, ¼-to
-inch thick. Standard pie dough or pâte brisée will become tough and isn’t very tasty when rolled out to this thickness. A richer and more tender dough will be able
to contain the fruit and add flavor to a freeform tart. Look for doughs that have added buttermilk, sour cream, or cream cheese, which add this tenderness and flavor.

To put together the tart, roll your dough into a 12-inch circle. Place your fruit (you will need about 3 cups, sliced, tossed with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet the fruit is, and a teaspoon of lemon juice) in an even layer on the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold a 2-or 3-inch section of the border over the fruit, and continue to fold, pleating the dough where you make a new fold, all the way around the fruit. Make sure the pleats are tight, because this is where the fruit juices are likely to leak out. Brush the border with a lightly beaten egg and sprinkle it with a little sugar to give it a nice shine. Then bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden.

Some leaking in the oven is inevitable, because there is no pan to contain the bubbling fruit juices as the tart bakes. To minimize the mess, use a rimmed baking sheet (juices will drip right off of a rimless one) and line it with parchment paper. Not only will the parchment make for easy cleanup, but it will prevent the sugary juices from burning and smoking as the tart bakes.

Q
Is pastry cream the same thing as custard? How is it used in pies and tarts?

A
Custard is a general term referring to any number of preparations made with milk and eggs and thickened by heat. So cheesecake, pumpkin pie, crème brûlée, and quiche are all considered custards, as are crème anglaise (which can be used as a dessert sauce or as a base for ice cream) and pastry cream. Pastry cream is a key component in many fruit tarts, cream pies, and cakes (such as Boston cream pie), as well as a filling for éclairs and other pastries.

The difference between pastry cream and the other items I’ve mentioned is that it belongs to a category of custards that contain cornstarch, which affects how quickly the custard will thicken and then curdle.

Custards made without starch, such as crème anglaise, thicken at 160°F (71°C) and curdle at 180°F (82°C). When you remember that water boils at 212°F (100°C), you will realize how easy it is to curdle an egg-thickened custard by overheating it or cooking it too long. This is why it’s safest to make a custard in a double boiler, away from direct heat. Custards made with cornstarch, including pastry cream (see recipe on
page 248
), are much more forgiving, since they thicken at the same point that water boils, 212°F (100°C).

The method for making pastry cream is simple. Heat half-and-half or milk with sugar until simmering. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and cornstarch together. The proportions will vary from recipe to recipe, with two cups of liquid combining with two to six egg yolks, depending on how rich the
cream needs to be. Dribble some of the hot liquid into the yolks, whisking, to temper them, then whisk the egg mixture back into the pot. Whisk the pastry cream constantly over medium heat until a few large bubbles begin to break on the surface and it thickens. Off the heat, whisk in some butter and then pour the mixture through a fine strainer. Even though it rarely curdles, you want to make sure it’s silky smooth. Don’t forget to press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface before refrigerating it, or a “pudding skin” will form over the top. The method for making all cornstarch-thickened custards, including custards flavored with coconut and citrus, is the same.

Once chilled, pastry cream can be spread in a thin layer on the bottom of a fully baked tart shell and topped with sliced fresh fruit.

Q
What is frangipane?

A
Frangipane is a rich batter made from ground almonds (or other nuts), sugar, butter, and eggs. When used as a tart filling it is spread over a partially baked tart shell and topped with fruit. In the oven, the frangipane rises to encase the fruit. Frangipane can also be used on its own as a filling for croissants, Danish pastries, or puff pastry Pithiviers.

Crustless Peach-Almond Tart

Sometimes, when I’m in the mood for a tart but too lazy to make dough, I’ll just make this simple frangipane filling and spread it directly into the tart pan, top with peach slices, and bake. Try it!

SERVES 4

1½ cups (6 ounces) blanched almonds

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

¼ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 large ripe peach, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray.

2.
Combine the almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the almonds are finely ground.

3.
Add the eggs and almond extract and pulse several times to combine. Cut the butter into small pieces, add to the food processor, and pulse several times to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and pulse once or twice to combine.

4.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tart pan and smooth with a small offset spatula. Arrange the peach slices on top of the batter.

5.
Bake until the frangipane is slightly puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove the sides from the pan, slice the tart, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve warm.

Pastry Cream for Tarts

This recipe will make enough cream to fill a prebaked 10-inch tart shell. Top with fresh raspberries or blueberries for the simplest late-summer fruit tart.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1½ cups milk

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1.
Whisk the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth.

2.
Combine the milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk about ½ cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan and return the pan to the heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly.

3.
Cook until the custard has thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the hot custard through a fine strainer and into a glass bowl. Stir in the butter and vanilla.

4.
Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cold and thick, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Q
Is it necessary to use lard or shortening to get a flaky piecrust?

A
The debate about the best way to achieve a flaky piecrust will no doubt rage on long after we’re all gone and our great-great-grandchildren are making Thanksgiving dinner. Some bakers care less about flakiness than flavor and prefer an all-butter crust.

Bakers who swear by lard (rendered pork fat) claim that not only does it lend flakiness to pie dough, but it also lends its own enticing flavor. A combination of butter and lard is often recommended, because lard combined with butter has an appealingly nutty flavor while lard on its own gives the crust an overpowering aroma of pork. If health considerations and mixing meat with dessert don’t deter you, try a dough made with 70% butter and 30% lard and see what you think.

Vegetable shortening will add flakiness to pie dough without adding any flavor. Because a flavorless crust is not what most bakers aspire to, shortening is often blended with butter to boost the taste. A crust made with 60% shortening and 40% butter will be flaky and flavorful in just the right balance.

But it is not just the combination of fats that determines the flakiness of a piecrust. The proper handling of the ingredients is crucial. Whether you use butter, lard, vegetable shortening, or a combination, it is important to chill the fat, which will melt in the oven and create layers of pastry separated by air pockets. This layered structure is what you are after. Using ice water rather than room temperature water is a way to help ensure that your fat will stay cold until it is time to bake.

Your mixing technique will also have an impact on the texture of your crust. Undermixing will result in a hard crust that falls into tough little pieces. Overmixing will give you a softer, crumbly crust without any prized flakiness. Again, bakers disagree on the best tools for mixing. Some people insist that cutting the fat into the flour by hand and then mixing in the ice water with a spatula is the safest way to ensure a flaky crust. Others prefer an electric mixer set on low. It is easy to see and feel how small the pieces of fat are becoming as they churn together in the mixer, although there is a danger that during the relatively long mixing time the fat will get too soft and warm. The food processor is another choice. It cuts fat into flour with lightning speed. But once ice water is poured through the feed tube it is a matter of milliseconds before the dough is overprocessed.

You may not achieve your perfect piecrust on the first try, as perfection depends on having some experience with the ingredients and techniques. Try to consider every pie-making session a leg on a journey toward a better understanding of the dough. It helps to remember that even an imperfect homemade pie is going to taste good.

Q
What are pâte brisée and pâte sucrée? What is the difference between the two?

A
These are the French terms for two types of pastry dough commonly used in savory and sweet tarts and other pastries. Pâte brisée is similar to American pie dough,
but always made with butter. (You can gauge from this where the French stand on the flavor-versus-flakiness debate.)

Pâte sucrée is also an all-butter dough, but with more sugar than pâte brisée and added egg or egg yolk, which gives it a cookielike crunch. The sugar and eggs make this dough similar in feel to sugar cookie dough, less crumbly, and easier to roll than pâte brisée or American pie dough.

Q
Can you give me some tips for rolling out pastry dough evenly, without tearing it or having it stick to the counter?

A
Temperature is the first key to an easy-to-roll dough. Cool dough is less likely to tear than warm dough, but if the dough is too cold it may crumble into pieces when you attempt to roll it. If you make your dough with chilled butter and ice-cold water as most recipes recommend, an hour or two of chilling time in the refrigerator will bring it to just the right temperature for easy rolling. If your dough has been in the refrigerator longer than this, let it sit on the counter to warm up a bit before rolling. Some recipes recommend kneading the dough a few times to soften it up, and I find that a quick kneading prevents cold dough from cracking as it rolls.