Pate Brisèe Leaves Recipes

PATE BRISEE (FRENCH SHORTCRUST)

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add cubed butter; pulse until crumbly.
• Pour slow stream of ice water through feed tube while the processor is on low speed until dough holds together when pinched, making sure not to add too much.
• Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form dough into discs on a lightly floured work surface. Wrap discs with wax paper or parchment paper before wrapping with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until use.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin between 2 pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness when ready to use.
• Butter two 9-inch tart pans. Roll crusts 1 at a time onto the rolling pin and unroll over tart pans. Gently push dough into the prepared pans, molding to the sides. Trim edges with fingers or a knife. Fill and bake according to filling recipe instructions.

"FALL LEAVES" PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor untilcombined. Add butter, and pulse until mixtureresembles coarse crumbs with some larger piecesremaining, about 10 seconds.
• Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse untilmixture just begins to hold together (it should not bewet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half.Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap.Press dough into 2 disks using a rolling pin. Refrigerateuntil firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (Dough canbe frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before using.)
• Roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a flouredsurface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edgeflush with rim. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Roll remaining disk to 1/8-inch thickness on a flouredsurface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut out 18leaves, rerolling scraps if needed, using 3 1/2-inch leaf-shapedcutters. Transfer leaves toanother piece of parchment; chill if needed. Gentlypress the dull edge of a paring knife into leaves tocreate veins. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

PATE BRISèE LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Stamp shapes with a 1 1/2-to-2-inch maple-leaf or other decorative leaf cutter. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate 15 minutes. Using the back of a knife or edge of a small offset spatula, score "veins" in leaves; refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Brush leaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake, banging sheet halfway through (to flatten leaves), until evenly golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Leaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

PATE BRISEE (FLAKY SWEET PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• Place one cup of flour, the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add the water and slowly pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together, about six to eight times. Do not let it form a ball. Turn the pastry out onto waxed paper and flatten the dough into a circle. If the dough is excessively sticky, sprinkle it with several tablespoons of flour. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.