Julia Child's Pastry Dough (shortcrust pastry) (method #1 : by hand)

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Julia Child’s Pastry Dough (shortcrust pastry) (method #1 : by hand)

Chef: Julia Child

Cuisine: French Cuisine

Course: Base, Pie Dough, Savory Pie Dough, Shortcrust Pastry Dough

Difficulty: Easy

Category: Base

Yield: 2 tarts or quiches of 10" in diameter

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Category: Recipe

Posted on: Wednesday August 24, 2016

Ingredients : Vegetable shortening (crisco),

Ingredients : Vegetable shortening (crisco),

An essential pastry in French Cuisine, often used for the base of tarts and quiches

About this recipe

A great recipe of French Pastry Dough (Shortcrust pastry), for tarts, savory pies and quiches

Julia Child, we owe you respect

This is a recipe of Julia Child. I have a great respect for Julia, for the dedication to French Cuisine and her huge work to assemble the French recipes and techniques in her book

She acquired her knowledge while living in Paris and studying at the Cordon Bleu de Paris

Julia spent many years in Paris and discovered the French food, and while attending the Cordon Bleu, learned about French cuisine techniques.

When she moved back to the United States, Julia Child published her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1", a masterpiece that is still a best seller that you still can find nowadays in all bookstores in the states. What an impressive undertaking !

To purchase online, see HERE

In fact, the book was written with two French ladies, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle

These three ladies met in Paris and started an informal school "L'école des trois gourmandes" (The School of the Three Food Lovers). Whenever Julia appeared on television, she kept the same name on a sticker on her chest.

After writing her book, Julia appeared on American television in a series called "The French Chef"

House of Julia Child

625 Magnolia Avenue

Pasadena, California

I learned about Julia Child quite late : While living in Pasadena, I followed a couple classes at the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, and the teachers mentioned Julia and her book (see HERE). Call it a Coincidence: Julia lived in Pasadena and studied at the Cordon Bleu (but the one in Paris)

I learned about Julia Child quite late : While I was studying classes at the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, my teachers mentioned Julia and her book. Coincidence: Julia lived in Pasadena and studied at the Cordon Bleu (but that in Paris). Here's a photo of my mug with that house:

This house is not a museum but a private house

Julia in Paris

House of Julia in Paris

81, rue de l'Université

75007 Paris

France

And when I visited Paris, (see HERE), I had to walk by the place she had been living in Paris...

Le Film "Julie et Julia"

You probably saw the movie about Julia Child "Julie and Julia", starring Meryl Streep et Amy Adams

To purchase online, see HERE

The movie shows Julia's life, including her days at the Cordon Bleu Paris

The movie tells the story when Meryl Streep (Julia Child) lives in Paris and then in the States

House of Julia (movie)

10, Rue de Seine

75006 Paris

France

The house of Julia, in the movie, is not 'rue de l'université' as I told you earlier, the movie location was a bit further, and of course I had to see it as well, as I enjoyed very much the movie !

There are other film locations to discover while in Paris : This article talks about those places

Julia Child's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1" is a must-have...

To purchase online, see HERE

I initially thought the book would not be very useful, to be honest. However I changed my mind : it is very useful ! Julia captured the traditional recipes, and this information is important to us, food lovers

The Recipe in the book

The recipe is on page 140

Modifications to the original recipe

I modified only a few things...

● I copied the exact same recipe as Julia. However, in practicality, at home, I do not add Vegetable Shortening

● I used a stand mixer, however Julia mentions to work the dough either by hand or in a food processor

**** INGREDIENTS ****

**** INGREDIENTS ****

For 2 tarts, 9.84" (or 9 27/32" or 25 cm) in diameter

● 2 ¼ Cups Flour (330 grams)

● 1 teaspoon of Salt

● ¼ teaspoon of Sugar

● ¾ Cup Butter (170 grams)

● ¼ Cup Vegetable Shortening (50 grams)

● ½ Cup Water (113 grams)

For 1 tart, 9.84" (or 9 27/32" or 25 cm) in diameter

● 1 ¼ Cup Flour (165 grams)

● ½ teaspoon of Salt

● 1/8 teaspoon of Sugar

● ⅓ Cup Butter (85 grams)

● 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening (25 grams)

● ¼ Cup Water (56.5 grams)

For 1 tart, 9.05" (or 9 1/16" or 23 cm) in diameter

● 1 Cup Flour (139.6 grams)

● 0.4 teaspoon of Salt

● 0.1 teaspoon of Sugar

● ⅓ Cup Butter (71.9 grams)

● 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening (21.1 grams)

● 3 Tablespoons Water (47.8 grams)

For 1 tart, 7.87" (or 7 7/8" or 20 cm) in diameter

● ¾ Cup Flour (105.6 grams)

● 0.3 teaspoon of Salt

● 0 teaspoon of Sugar

● 4 Tablespoons Butter (54.4 grams)

● 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Shortening (16 grams)

● 3 Tablespoons Water (36.1 grams)

**** STEPS ****

**** STEPS ****

1. Dice the Butter (¾ Cup or 170 g)

2. Do not let it melt or even soften : Julia Child mentions that the Butter (¾ Cup or 170 g) must be cold : "you must train yourself to work rapidly"

3. If the Butter is too soft as you can see on the photo, place it in the fridge and wait 30 minutes before even starting the recipe

4. In the original recipe, Julia mentions Vegetable Shortening : I wrote the ingredient to stay faithful to Julia's recipe, however I don't add it at home

5. In a bowl, place : the Flour (2 ¼ Cups or 330 g), the Salt (1 teaspoon), the Sugar (¼ teaspoon), the Butter (¾ Cup or 170 g) et the Vegetable Shortening (¼ Cup or 50 g) (or butter as a substiture)

Hand mixing

6. Rub the flour and the fat together between the tips of your fingers until the fat is broken into small pieces

7. After a few minutes, you may observe lumps, but they will disappear after adding water later

L'eau

8. For the Water, be aware that the quantity (½ Cup or 113 g) is not the right amount every time : depending on the humidity of the flour and the temperature of the room, you will need more or less. So, do not add the water at once but one tablespoon at a time

9. Gradually add the Water, mix by hand and stop adding when you can gather the dough with your hands into a mass.The dough is done when it has begun to mass. Proceed to "Frasage" (blending)

Frasage (blending)

10. Frasage will ensure that the dough reaches the right consistency, this is an important step!

11. Place the dough on a board, and with the heel of one hand, press the dough, away from you in a firm smear. Gather the dough again into a mass and repeat the "frasage" : Do this several times

Rolling out the dough

12. To roll out the dough, I place the dough between two silicon mats or 2 pieces of parchment paper, and I roll out

13. Roll the dough between 2 silicone mat (called "silpat"), roll it, and place in the fridge for 10 minutes

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