Today's Tip
A French tart is not complicated. It is a shell (pâte brisée), a filling, and restraint. The French do not pile things high. They let the quality of two or three ingredients show. A tomato tart with good mustard and three anchovies is more impressive than one with twelve toppings.
Try This
Make a simple tart base: 200g flour, 100g cold butter cubed, pinch of salt, 2-3 tbsp cold water. Rub butter into flour until it resembles coarse sand. Add water just until it comes together. Rest 30 minutes in the fridge. Roll thin. Blind bake at 190°C for 15 minutes. Fill with what you have.
Blind baking requires pie weights or dried beans to keep the shell flat. But the real secret is the resting time: after pressing the dough into the pan, refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking. Cold dough holds its shape when heat hits it. Warm dough slumps. This is also why pâte brisée requires cold butter and ice water — warmth activates gluten and makes the pastry tough. Handle it as little as possible, as quickly as possible, and keep everything cold.
One French lifestyle tip, every morning at 7am. Free — always.