10-Inch Pecan Tart Pastry
This toasted pecan tart pastry adds richness and depth of flavor to your tart. Pecans caramelize in the heat of the oven, so expect your crust to be dark. A pecan crust is sturdy and stays dry, so your tart will be just as good the second day.
Prep: 25 minutes
Blind bake: 20 minutes
Bake at: 400°F
Yield: one 10-inch tart shell
Pan: 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely ground
- 4 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Baker’s Joy non-stick cooking spray
Directions
Making the Tart Dough
- Lightly toast the pecans in a dry skillet or in the oven. While they are still warm, grind them in the small work bowl of a food processor; do not make a paste. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on low speed, cream together the butter and sugar for 4 minutes. Raise the speed to medium and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 more minutes; scrape down the bowl as necessary.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg and vanilla and lightly whisk. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, beating until the mixture is smooth and silky, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off the mixer and add the flour and salt. Pulse the mixture at low speed until the flour is just moistened. Add the ground nuts and mix on low speed for 1 minute until the ingredients are just combined.
- Prepare a 10-inch tart pan with Baker’s Joy non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease and flour the pan. Press the dough evenly across the base and up the sides of the tart pan and refrigerate it until the butter is firm, at least 1 hour.
- Continue with your tart recipe or prebake the shell.
Blind Baking the Tart Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- To blind bake the tart pastry: Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork or line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake the shell at 400°F for 15 minutes until it is light golden brown on the edge. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the pie weights, if using, and bake for 5 minutes more. Let the tart shell cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- To par-bake the tart pastry: If you intend to use a filling which needs to be baked, reduce the prebake time. Bake the tart shell for 8 minutes at 400°F and then reduce the heat to 350°F for 4 minutes. Remove pie weights at the point you lower the heat.
Tips
- If you have difficulty handling a tart pan, place it in a baking tray before putting the pastry in the oven. This will make the pan easier to remove from the oven.