Basics #1: the crust !

There are some basics I ought to cover to avoid repeating myself. I love making tarts and quiches. In my mind, quiches are vegetable tarts, or tarts are fruit quiches :) But there are so many variations in each category that I could devote an entire book chapter for each. So I'll keep it simple for now and start out with a common element: the crust !
I use the same basic recipe whenever I need to make a crust for a tart or quiche. Then I customize it to blend with the filling I am using for that extra edge. The basic recipe is good as it is though, and very dependable.

Ingredients for a 9-10.5" pan:

• 8 oz flour
• 4 oz butter
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place the flour in a big bowl, add the salt and soft butter stick.
2. Mix the ingredients together until it's blended together (I use my hand, the fingers are the best).
3. Add the egg and continue mixing. It should get sticky on your hand. With the other hand I add flour little by little until the well blended mix does not stick anymore. You should be able to form a ball with both hands, leaving a greasy residue on your hands.
4. Use a rolling pin with some flour to flatten out the dough to the desired thickness. Personally, I don't use one, but place the ball directly in the center of the pan (no need to grease the pan, you used enough butter already!) and use my hand to distribute the dough evenly at the bottom and side of the pan. I've never been very good with a rolling pin :)
5. If you need to precook the crust before adding the filling, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork evenly (it will prevent trapped air to lift it while baking) and bake it at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool before adding the filling.

This is the basic recipe. Now I have some little tips you can use to wow your guests.
For sweet recipes:

• Add flavoring at step 3: vanilla extract, almond extract,...
• Add food colorants (getting crazy....).
• Substitute part of the flour (no more than 20%) with almond flour, coconut flour, or other flour substitute.
• Add sugar (about 2 oz). In that case it's easier to mix the sugar with the soft butter first, than add the flour, salt and egg.

For salty recipes:

• Add flavoring at step 3. My favorites are italian herbs (it smells wonderful in the oven!) and curry (it adds color too)

You don't often see an egg for a crust recipe. I feel like I need to explain myself here :) Initially I started using an egg whenever I was making a tart with juicy fruits. The egg keeps the crust together when the cooked fruits are squeezing out the water. But then I liked the taste of it and the egg became a required ingredient.

There now you know how to make a reliable crust for any occasion !

Peace out !
Pierre.