pâte sucrée (sweet dough)

Instructions

1. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter, pulse 10 to 15 times until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolk, 2 tablespoons of the cream and vanilla extract. Add the liquid to the food processor while pulsing. If the texture seems too dry, add 1 more tablespoon of cream. Continue pulsing until a ball begins to form, stop the motor immediately. Remove the dough from the machine, press down into a circle on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To bake 4-inch tarts

1. After 1 hour, remove the dough from refrigerator and divide into 6 equal sized balls (about 90g each), spread each ball into one 4-inch tart pan, shape into a tart shell. Poke the bottom of each shell slightly with a fork 8-10 times. These little holes will help steam to escape while baking, prevent the pastry from puffing up. Then freeze the shell for 20 minutes, this will help preventing the pastry from shrinking in the oven. (The tart shells can be made in advance, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, they can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months. No need to thaw when you are ready to bake. )
2. Heat the oven to 375Fº (190Cº). Take all the tarts out of the freezer and cover them with pie weights, bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven and wait 5 minutes before removing tart shells from pans. Wait them to cool completely before adding filling and fresh fruits.