Sweet Pastry

While it is easy to make, it is not easy to handle because of the high fat content. This is the paste that pastry chefs get up at four o'clock in the morning for, while the kitchen is still cool.

Don't let that faze you. Even if the raw pastry tears and falls apart it is easy to repair, and the end result is well worth the effort. Do not mix the measurements given, they are not exact equivalents.

Ingredients

30g (1oz) almond meal
250g (8oz) flour
140g (5oz) butter or margarine, cut into small squares
100g (4oz) sifted icing sugar
1 egg
half tsp salt

The trick to success here lies in the way you add the fat. Forget everything you have previously learned about this and follow my method. It works.

First sift and mix together the dry ingredients, then add the chopped butter quickly. You do this by dropping a quarter of the prepared squares into the flour mix and then, with well floured fingers, pick up each piece and squeeze it flat between finger and thumb. That's all. No rubbing, cutting or anything else. Repeat until all the fat is used up.

You do it this way to avoid the fat melting from your finger heat, which would toughen your pastry. It is going to be very short.

Beat the egg with the salt and mix this in using the blade of a knife or similar. The mix will still look fairly dry, but don't add any other liquid.

With floured hands, quickly form the dough into a ball, cover it or wrap it in cling film and chill it for at least an hour.

On a floured surface, and with a well floured rolling pin, quickly roll out the pastry to the size you want and use as required. You will see that it has a marbled appearance, as if the fat has not been properly mixed in. That's how it should look.

You can lift the rolled out pastry by folding it over the rolling pin. If it tears, simply use any trimmings to repair the damage. It won't affect the end result. If you are making a pastry case, let it relax in the fridge for 30 minutes after making.

For a tart, this pastry needs to be baked blind for 10 minutes.

To do this, heat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line the pastry with baking parchment or grease-proof paper and fill it with dried beans or similar. Bake in the oven for the required time and then carefully remove the beans and paper.

You will see that the case has a raw, wet look. Put it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes and this will dry it out and crisp it up. If it should rise a little from the bottom, push it back down using a wad of paper towel. There is no need to prick the base at any stage.

Finally, if this process terrifies you - and I have seen grown men reduced to tears - mix the whole thing in a food processor by blitzing the dry ingredients first and then adding the egg. You will get a slightly tougher result, but the chances are only you will notice.

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First published on Qassia