Food & Cooking Recipes Pate Brisee for Pies and Tarts Be the first to rate & review! By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 19, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Yield: Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie or two 9-inch single-crust pies The rich flavor, delicate texture, and versatility of pate brisee have made it the standard at Martha Stewart Living and in our Pies & Tarts book, where it is used for pies and tarts both sweet and savory. From three main components -- flour, fat, and water -- plus a little sugar and salt, you get a crust that is incomparably flaky, yet sturdy enough to contain nearly any filling. An all-butter pate brisee tastes best, but some cooks use shortening or lard for additional tenderness. The name pate brisee means "broken pastry," and refers to cutting the butter into the flour, either by hand or with a food processor. The butter-flour mixture should resemble coarse meal, with some pieces of butter the size of small peas, before cold water is drizzled into it; these bits of unincorporated butter give pate brisee its famously flaky texture by releasing steam as they melt. Ingredients 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water Directions Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl). Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips). If dough is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse (or mix with a fork). Divide dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap. Gather into two balls, wrap loosely in plastic, and press each into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, well wrapped in plastic, 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.) Rate it Print