Title: Flaky Sweet Pastry (Pate Sucree)
Categories: Dessert
Yield: 1 Servings

TOO HOT TAMALES #TH6296
1 1/4	c	Flour
7	tb	Unsalted butter, chilled and
		Cut into pieces
2	ts	Sugar
1/8	ts	Salt
3	tb	Ice water

Place 1 cup of the flour, the butter, sugar and salt, into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process 10 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the mixture begins to come together (do not let it form a ball). Empty the dough out of the machine onto a floured work surface and gather together by pressing lightly. If the dough seems too sticky, gently incorporate more flour. Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.

These two different pastry doughs have very different textures. The first is flaky due to the incorporation of butter in small pieces: as the dough cooks, the butter melts and the water in it turns to steam and puffs up the dough. The second dough is tender and crumbly: the butter is well creamed as for a cookie; the confectioner's sugar adds tenderness due to the cornstarch it contains; the ground almonds, which can be substituted for some of the flour in any pastry dough recipe, add an interesting graininess.

Yield: 1 10 to 12 inch tart or four individual tartlets

Brought to you by MMCONV and Sylvia Steiger,

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