Fruit Tartlets

I bet you’re wondering what I was going to do with all that lemon cream… weren’t you?

Well, wonder no longer.

I really like Michel Roux’s book, Pastry: Savory and Sweet, because the dough recipes are intended to be mixed by hand. I used to think that a food processor was required for making pastry dough, but now I know my hands are perfectly suitable.

Pâte Sucrée

From Pastry by Michel Roux

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

Scant ½ cup butter, cubed and slightly softened

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

2 medium eggs, at room temperature

Mound the flour on a counter and make a well. Put in the butter, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix together with your fingertips.

Gradually draw the flour in the center and mix with your fingertips until the dough becomes slightly grainy.

Again, make a well and add the eggs. Work them into the flour mixture, using your fingertips, until the dough begins to hold together.

When the dough is well amalgamated, knead it a few times with the palm of your hand until smooth. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plaster wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before using (I let rest overnight).

When the dough is rested and you are ready to use it, unwrap and roll out on a lightly floured counter to a 1/16-1/8 inch thickness.

For the rolling out, I used my set of 1/8 inch dough planers on a Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat to reduce the need for flour. Prick with a fork and place in freezer for 10-15 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

Once the tartlet shells were cool, I filled them with lemon cream and topped with blueberries, cherries, and strawberries.

Goal for future posts: in-progress, action photographs.