Pastry chefs, as a rule, would not use a classic pie crust when creating a pastry tart. Most have agreed that the very best tried and true tart crust recipe is either the beloved and basic shortbread cookie recipe or the simplest of cut-out sugar cookie recipes. This terrific tart crust is a mixture of both the shortbread and sugar cookie dough. And we think you'll agree, our tart crust is perfection!
Sweet & Delicious!
Chef's Notes,
The perfect amount of salt is one of the most important parts of a good tart crust because the richness from the butter needs a salty hit to amplify the flavor.
Whether a cookie (and in this case a tart crust) is a sugar cookie or shortbread cookie is determined by whether the cookie has leavening and egg or not. Shortbread cookies have no egg or leavening and sugar cookies do include egg and a leavening in their ingredients. Both types of cookie will work great as a crust, but when selecting the sugar cookie you'll need to limit the leavening down to merely a pinch or none at all, because if the sugar cookie puffs up too much it will not make a useful crust for the tart.
Lastly, cut the sugar down by half. A tart includes other sweet ingredients and we do not need all the sweetness that a cookie would require.
These factors are what a chef considers when creating an effective and delicious fruit tart. I suggest simply following the amounts indicated in this recipe and your crust will turn out fantastic!
