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Pastry for Savory Tarts

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Makes Enough for a 9-inch tart

Time 20 minutes, plus time to chill

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter all at once; process until the mixture is uniform, about 10 seconds (do not overprocess). Add the egg yolk and process for another few seconds. To make the dough by hand, cut the butter into smaller cubes to start, then use your fingertips or 2 knives to blend in the butter, then the yolk until the mixture looks like wet sand. If the butter ever starts to look greasy, stick the bowl in the fridge for 5 or 10 minutes.
  2. With the machine running, slowly pour in the ice water, stopping as soon as the dough forms a ball (you may not need all the water); if you’re mixing by hand, drizzle it in and continue to combine as you did with the butter. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate for up to a couple of days or freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to a couple of weeks.)

Recipe variations

Whole Wheat Savory Tart Crust

Not quite as flaky, but with a wonderfully nutty flavor: Substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour for 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. A bit more ice water may be necessary.

Savory Nut Tart Crust

Substitute 1/2 cup ground nuts, like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, or peanuts, for 1/2 cup of the flour.