Crumbly Buttery Pie Crust - Pâte Sablée
Pâte Sablée - From the French word sabler which means "to sand" pâte sablée differs from other crust dough recipes as it yields a wonderfully melt in your mouth, crumbly, buttery texture. Other crust dough recipes - Sucree (sweet) and Brisee (savory) - give you a flaky, sturdier texture. We use sable when we want a more delicate bake and dough that will dissolve quickly on the tongue.
This recipe comes to you form my alma mater, the recently closed International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute).
You can use this crust for butter cookies as well. Either roll out then cut or, even easier, form into a log, chill and then slice a hair over a 1/4" thick. For a simplified version, check out our episode on Creme Brulee where I make a quicker sablee recipe in the food processor.
Working with sablee dough can be tricky because of the high butter content. Keep the dough and bench very cold while rolling and if it starts to fall apart, pop it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm back up.
Sablee dough can be held in the fridge for up to a day or formed into a disk, log or tart shape, wrapped tight in plastic and frozen for up to one month.
Ingredients
- 125 g All Purpose Flour
- 45 g Confectioner's Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- 1 g Kosher Salt
- 120 g Chilled Butter, cut in small cubes
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1-2 TBS Ice Water (drained)
Instructions
- Sift together flour, sugar and salt
- Cut in butter with a bowl scraper then use your fingertips to rub the flour and butter together to create a sandy, pebbly texture. It is very important to work quickly and with a tool or fingertips only in order to keep the fat in the butter solid. This will help yield the best possible texture.
- Form a well and add the yolk mixed with water. Quickly push the dough together to combine until it just starts to hold together. You will know the dough has enough moisture if only a few small crumbs are left on the table when you lift it up. If it falls apart or leaves a lot of floury pieces on the bench, drizzle in a half teaspoon more water then press it together again. Repeat as needed.
- To create a more evenly mixed, homogenous texture without softening the butter or kneading the dough, both of which will make the dough tough, we use a technique called fraisage. Working with a walnut sized piece at a time, use the heal of your hand to quickly mash the dough flat on the work surface than scrape into a new pile. Repeat with the remaining dough, press together into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill at least 20 minutes to rest.
To Prepare Tart Shells
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove dough from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
3. Rub tart rings or tartlet pans with a thin layer of softened butter and granulated sugar, tapping off excess.
4. Flour work surface, hands and rolling pin. Divide dough in 4 pieces for individual tarts if necessary.
5. Working quickly, roll dough to 1/4" thick and about 2" wider than the size of the ring or pan.
6. Roll onto pin then unroll over tart rind or pan draping excess over the edge. 
7. Gently lift outer edge at the same time pushing the portion of dough inside the pan into the edges or creases of the pan. For tart rings, a straight sides glass helps for a neat bottom.
8. For a scalloped edge, bunch up the excess outside dough 1/4-1/2" above the top lip of the ring or pan and press into decorative shape. I like to use the thumb and fore finger on one hand and thumb on the other to create a zigzag pattern. 
8a. For a straight sided tart or a fluted tartlet pan, simply use a sharp knife to trim off excess dough flush with the top edge.
9. Chill the tarts again for at least 20 minutes until firm and cold.
10. To bake, line tarts with a piece of plastic film 3-5" larger than the pan on all sides. Fill with dried beans (I prefer black beans for their size and cost) or pie weights then lift the plastic up around the weights. The plastic will not stick to the dough but it will melt if it touches metal so be mindful of that. 
11. Bake 10 minutes to set the shape, remove weights and continue baking until a light brown. Keep the weights or beans in the plastic and reuse as needed. Do not use the beans for any other purpose.
12. Cool tarts completely before proceeding.
Notes
Use this dough with the lemon soufflé filling recipe, raspberry coulis and whipped cream for an unusual, light and refreshing dessert!