Active Time

　　15 min

　　Total Time

　　1 1/4 hr

　　With just a touch of sugar, this tender crust cradles the pastry cream and glazed-pear filling especially well.

　　

Ingredients

Makes enough for 1 single-crust pie or tart

　　1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　1 large egg yolk

　　1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons ice water

　　

Step 1

Stir together flour, sugar, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Stir together egg yolk and 1 1/2 tablespoons water and drizzle evenly over butter mixture. Gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

　　

Step 2

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon ice water, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)

　　

Step 3

Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat.

　　

Step 4

Gather all dough into a ball, with a pastry scraper if you have one, then flatten into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.

　　Cooks’ note:

　　Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.