How to make a good pastry tart case
Lining a tin or mould with pastry to make a tart or pie seems simple enough: you roll out the pastry, put it in the tin and trim off any overhanging bits.
It may not be rocket science, but if you want a tart with a perfect pastry case, it really helps to take care over a few details, which I will show you here.
It may not be rocket science, but if you want a tart with a perfect pastry case, it really helps to take care over a few details, which I will show you here.
76 K 3.1/5 (14 reviews)
45 min.
Easy
1 tart
1 IngredientLast modified on: July 14th 2019
For 1 tart, you will need:
350 g 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Resting: 30 min.
All in all: 45 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Start by rolling out the pastry – 350 g sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée) here – which should be really cold. You might find these tips helpful.
Roll the pastry out to the diameter of your tin + the height of the sides.
Roll the pastry out to the diameter of your tin + the height of the sides.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Sit the tin your mould on a sheet of cooking parchment laid on a baking sheet. Ease the rolled-out pastry down into the tin. Use your fingers to press the pastry gently into contact with the sides, leaving any excess pastry overhanging the edge..
Stage 3 - 30 min.
It is most important to make sure that the pastry sit well into the corner where the base meets the sides (shown by the arrows on this diagram). There should not be any space left behind it.
Put the tin on its baking sheet into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Put the tin on its baking sheet into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Stage 4
After refrigerating, take the tin out of the fridge and sit it on the work top.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Use a knife to trim off any excess pastry...
Stage 6
...all around the edge.
Stage 7
Your pastry case is now ready to be filled.
Stage 8
You can prick over the base if necessary (depending on the filling and pastry you are using).
Remarks
French pastry chefs have a whole arcane vocabulary of their own. There is no need for amateurs to know these terms and they often have no real equivalents in English, but if you'd like to broaden your chef's vocabulary, you can look them up on the following pages (just click on the little flag top right to see the original French version: the rolled-out pastry ("abaisse" in French), and the process of lining with pastry ("foncer" in French).
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 310 RDI=120 % | 1,770 RDI=170 % | 1,330 RDI=200 % | 20,350 RDI=1,020 % | 85,180 RDI: 1,020 % |
| Per 100 g | 90 RDI=30 % | 510 RDI=50 % | 380 RDI=60 % | 5,810 RDI=290 % | 24,340 RDI: 290 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 tart : 1.80 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Plum tart, Tatin apple diplomat tart, Strawberry tart, Lemon and grated apple tart, Flaked almond tart, ... See them all 43
Other recipes you may also like
French croissants
In this famous and highly technical recipe from a piece of yeast-based flaky dough we are going to cut and shape ("roll") croissants.June 26th 2019632 K 24.4 2 hours 35 min.
How to freeze plums
When fruit is in season, there's sometimes a glut - far more than we can use at once. Freezing is a good solution, but plums and other stone fruit should not be frozen whole; the fruit will be unappetizing when thawed. Here's a simple method for successful freezing.September 4th 2019126 K3.7 12 hours 40 min.
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...October 3rd 20191.60 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.January 27th 2017765 K 313.7 40 min.
Profiteroles
Small choux pastry puffs, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with a rich smooth chocolate sauce.October 13th 2010316 K 14.5 1 hour 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-20)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.