Mixing Savory Tart Dough

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and heavy cream, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and pepper.

Use either a pastry blender, 2 butter knives or pulse in a food processor to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Blend until the texture looks like coarse cornmeal. The butter chunks shouldn't be larger than the size of peas. But don't over mix, you want some texture here. Alternatively, you can squish the butter into the dry ingredients with your hands. Just be sure to move quickly so the butter doesn't melt.

Add the egg mixture and blend with a fork until the dough just holds together. It should be shaggy. To test the hydration of the dough, gently squeeze small handful. It should hold together but not be sticky. If using a food processor, add the egg mixture and pulse a few times until the dough just starts pulling together into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, gather the dough into a ball and pat to flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, before shaping the tart shell or shells. If not using right away, the dough may be frozen for up 3 months, if wrapped tightly.

Shaping Tart Shell

To roll out, place dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten the disk with a few taps of the rolling pin. Begin by rolling out the dough from the center outward, then lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Repeat and continue rolling and rotating. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll until the dough is about 1"-2" wider in diameter than your tart pan and between 1/4"- ⅛" thick.

To transfer to the tart pan, roll the dough back around the rolling pin, then unroll it centered over the tart pan. Neatly finish the edges of the tart by rolling the pin along the top of the pan. This will remove the excess dough in a snap and give you a crisp, fluted edge.

Dock or prick the bottom of the tart shell with fork to prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes. Transfer to refrigerator or freezer to chill while the oven preheats. 

Blind Baking Tart Shell

Center rack in the oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Press crumpled parchment paper or foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice, making sure they’re evenly distributed and fill the entire shell.

Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until the foil no longer sticks to the dough and the edges start to look golden. Gently remove weights by lifting the parchment or foil from the pie shell and set aside. 

For a partially baked crust - bake for another 5 minutes without the weights until the the crust has a firm film on the top layer. If you are baking a tart with a baked filling, follow the tart recipe. You should be filling and baking at this point.

For a no-bake filling recipe, you need to fully bake the crust. So, bake for about 10 minutes longer until golden brown and dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.