These individual small pastry tart shells are sinfully tender and flaky. Fill with fresh fruit, pudding, lemon filling, or any other precooked pie filling.
Makes Four Small 5-inch Pastry Tart Shells
Four Small 5-inch Pastry Tart Shells.
The advantage to using these tart shells instead of making a pie is that you don’t have to worry about how to cut your pie. Of course, everyone gets the same size. None of this “His piece is bigger than mine!” scenario. So it’s just as well because if you used this crust in a regular pie, it would fall apart when you cut into it. It is that tender. These pastry tarts are also big enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite.
Above all, there are only four ingredients; flour, shortening, salt, and water. The pastry does not require sugar, eggs, or butter. For the most part, there will be enough sweetener in the filling so that you won’t need additional sugar in the pastry tart shell.
Ingredients for tart shells: Flour, shortening, and salt.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional utensils:
- Four 5-inch aluminum tart pans
- Pie weights. I use dried red kidney beans.
Instructions:
1. To begin with, in a medium bowl combine ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup vegetable shortening, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender. I use a pastry blender and not a food processor because I have found the pastry blender to be easier to clean.
2. Stir in 2 Tablespoons cold water with a fork. Keep in mind that the pastry dough will be slightly sticky at this point.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times until the dough is soft and no longer sticky. Shape into a ball.
4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
Line the tart pans with pastry dough:
5. Roll a piece of dough into a circle about 6½ inches in diameter.
6. Line a 5-inch diameter tart pan with the piece of dough. The dough should come to the edge of the pan. Turn under or trim any excess dough that hangs over the edge.
7. Gently press the dough that rests on the top edge of the pan with a fork. This will help to hold the dough in place during baking. Prick the dough in the bottom of the pastry tart shell with a fork. This will help to prevent bubbles from forming while the tart shell is baking. Be sure to repeat for the remaining pieces of dough.
8. Remove exactly 12 inches of foil from a roll of aluminum foil. This will give you a sheet that is 12 inches square. Fold it in half in both directions. Cut the foil along the folds so that you have four pieces of 6-inch square aluminum foil. These will be used for lining the tart for the pie weights. Take one piece of the aluminum foil and use a small dish to mold into the shape of the inside of the tart pan.
Bake the tart shells:
9. Gently place the foil in one of the tart pans that is lined with pastry dough. Fill the tart with ⅔ cup of any variety of dried beans (I use dark red kidney beans) or with pie weights.
10. Then repeat for the remaining tart pans.
11. Place the prepared tart pans on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in a preheated 425° oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Finally, gently remove the foil and beans from each tart pan. Place the beans in a bowl or pan and allow to cool. Return the tart pans to the oven and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust begins to turn a light brown.
13. Remove from oven. Above all, allow the shells to cool before adding any filling.
Four baked tart shells.
Individual Small Pastry Tart Shells
These individual small pastry tart shells are sinfully tender and flaky. Fill with fresh fruit, pudding, lemon filling, or any other precooked pie filling. Extra tart shells can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 Tbs. water
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 4 5-inch aluminum tart pans
- pie weights (dried beans)
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl combine ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender.
-
Stir in 2 Tablespoons cold water with a fork. The pastry dough will be slightly sticky at this point.
-
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times until the dough is soft and no longer sticky. Shape into a ball.
-
Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
-
Roll a piece of dough into a circle about 6½ inches in diameter.
-
Line a 5-inch diameter tart pan with a piece of dough. The dough should come to the edge of the pan. Turn under or trim any excess dough that hangs over the edge.
-
Gently press the dough that rests on the top edge of the pan with a fork. This will help to hold the dough in place during baking. Prick the dough in the bottom of the pastry tart shell with a fork. Repeat for the remaining pieces of dough.
-
Remove exactly 12 inches of foil from a roll of aluminum foil. This will give you a sheet that is 12 inches square. Fold it in half in both directions. Cut the foil along the folds so that you have four pieces of 6-inch square aluminum foil. These will be used for lining the tart for the pie weights. Take one piece of the aluminum foil and use a small dish to mold into the shape of the inside of the tart pan.
-
Gently place the foil in one of the tart pans that is lined with pastry dough. Fill the tart with ⅔ cup of any variety of dried beans or with pie weights.
-
Repeat for the remaining tart pans.
-
Place the prepared tart pans on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in a preheated 425° oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
-
Gently remove the foil and beans from each tart pan. Place the beans in a bowl or pan and allow to cool. Return the tart pans to the oven and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust begins to turn a light brown.
-
Remove from oven. Allow the shells to cool before adding any filling.
Leave a Reply