This flaky and light pastry dough works for savory as well as sweet tarts.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 12-Ounces, Enough for One 10-inch Tart or 6 Individual Tarts

　　1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and well chilled

　　4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

　　

Step 1

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Quickly cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until the butter pieces are the size of large peas. (Alternatively, cut the butter into the flour by pulsing it 8 to 10 times in a food processor, being careful not to overheat and overmix the butter.)

　　

Step 2

Dump the mixture out onto a clean surface and make a well in the center of the flour. Pour the ice water into the well. Using just your fingertips and working quickly, combine the flour mixture and the water. Work just until the water is absorbed. The dough will be ragged by should hold together when you squeeze it. If it seems dry, sprinkle on a few more drops of water.

　　

Step 3

Form the dough into a log shape about 8 inches long and parallel to the edge of your work surface. With the heel of your hand, push down and away from you all along the line of the dough. With a pastry scraper, gather up the dough, shape it back into a log, and repeat the smearing action. This technique, known as fraisage, will form sheets of butter in the dough, creating a light crust almost like puff pastry.

　　

Step 4

With the pastry scraper, gather the dough up into a ball; it's fine if the dough does not come together completely at this time. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, flatten it a bit, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before rolling. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the dough, well wrapped; allow it to defrost for a day in the refrigerator before using it.

　　

Step 5

Roll and shape the dough according to your recipe's direction.

　　

TO BLIND-BAKE THE TART CRUST

Step 6

Heat the over to 375°F. Line the mold with aluminum foil, and then fill the foil with baking weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue to bake until the crust is well browned. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool a bit before assembling your tart.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 150.0 calories

　　90.0 calories from fat

　　10.0 g total fat

　　6.0 g saturated fat

　　25.0 mg cholesterol

　　100.0 mg sodium

　　13.0 g total carbs

　　0.0 g dietary fiber

　　1.0 g sugars

　　2.0 g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　Bistro Cooking at Home by Gordon Hamersley. Copyright © 2003 by Gordon Hamersley. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.After training with Wolfgang Puck at the famed Ma Maison in Los Angeles, GORDON HAMERSLEY lived for a year in Nice, learning everything he could about French bistros. Ever since he and his wife Fiona opened Hamersley's Bistro in 1987, numerous publications (including Zagat's) have regularly ranked it among Boston’s top restaurants. In 1988, Food & Wine named Hamersley one of the country's best new chefs and in 1995, he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast. He lives outside of Boston.