on Oct 15th, 2007Pate sucree
Of four classic pastry doughs — pate brisee, pate sucree, pate sablee (”sandy” — it’s like a cookie dough) and pate a choux – this is one of the two most often made by American home bakers, the other being brisee for a flaky crust.
“Sucre” means sugar and its presence produces a sturdier crust, making this ideal for tarts. In fact some call this “tart dough.” It’s a rich dough, further enriched by the addition of one or more eggs, and while it makes a tender, but not very flaky, dough it can hold its own against wet fillings.
Sucree is easy to make in a food processor and it’s easy to roll. Its only drawback is the potential for sticking; this type of crust is loaded with butter — usually 4 ounces per crust — which begins to soften at around 50 degrees F and to melt at about 100, so working quickly is key. While I was tinkering with formulas to reduce cholesterol, focusing on eggs, it occurred to me I could also address the potential sticking and reduce the overall fat by cutting out some of the butter and replacing only a portion of it with Crisco.
Vegetable shortening is all fat. It has no water and a higher melting point than butter, which is 20% water. Premium European-style butters are usually 12 - 18% water, but at twice the price without twice the flavor. Using a little Crisco makes the dough easily workable for a longer period, but it does reduce the butteriness a bit. I’ll happily take that trade off, since I was able to replace 2 ounces of butter and their 400 calories and 120 grams of cholesterol with 220 calories of cholesterol-free Crisco. All-fat shortening also enabled me to remove one whole egg and the drying white of another.
Now I have a somewhat healthier dough that handles like a dream.
Ella’s Pate Sucree
Makes one double-crust or two single crusts
10 ounces / 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 TB sugar, to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 ounces / 12 TB cold unsalted butter, diced
2 TB chilled Crisco, diced
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
6-7 TB ice water
Place the first four ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse three or four times to combine.
Add butter and Crisco, pulse 12 -15 times until well-blended and there are no fat particles larger than oatmeal flakes.
Add the egg yolk and pulse 3 times. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and pulse 5 times. The dough should be coming together.
Stop and feel the dough. Add remaining water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing and feeling after each addition until the dough is cohesive. Do not let it form a ball which rides on the processor blade.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and pat together. It will feel similar to dough for cutout cookies. Divide in half, shape into discs about 1″ thick (make one square if using for a lattice crust), wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, up to one day.
Let sit on counter for 15 - 20 minutes before using.
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