Shortcrust Tartlets with Filling

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients. My eggs and butter were from the fridge, but you can use butter straight from the freezer.

2. Step 2:

   

   Be sure to sift the flour.

3. Step 3:

   

   Add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of vanilla sugar, and the 50 g of powdered sugar to the flour. Mix well and tip it into a food processor — the dough comes together much faster that way.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add cubes of well-chilled, good-quality butter to the dry mix and pulse. You'll get a mealy crumb.

5. Step 5:

   

   Then add the two yolks and 2 tablespoons of very cold water. Mix again.

6. Step 6:

   

   Turn the mixture out onto the counter and gather it into a ball. The dough won't stick, so there's no need to dust with flour. Don't knead it long, either — shortcrust dough doesn't like it, and over-worked pastry bakes up tough. Shape it into one big ball (as in the photo) or split it in half and flatten into disks, whichever suits you. Wrap it in a bag or plastic and chill it 30 minutes (or freeze 15), or work with it right away — depends on your comfort level.

7. Step 7:

   

   Roll half the dough out between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4 in. (0.5 cm) thick. Cut circles 1/2 in. (1 cm) wider than your molds. (This works for a thick filling — the base ends up as thick as the sides.) For a runnier filling, it's better to pinch off a small piece of dough and press it into the mold with your fingers, building up a thicker base.

8. Step 8:

   

   Prick the base of each shaped tartlet lightly with a fork. Silicone molds don't need greasing; I lightly oil metal ones. This amount of dough gave me 15 tartlets, 2 in. (5 cm) across the base and 3 in. (8 cm) across the top.

9. Step 9:

   

   Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 13–15 minutes, until lightly golden — don't overbake. The pastry will shrink back a little after baking; that's normal. Turn them out of the molds while still warm and let them cool. They release easily — just flip the mold over.

10. Step 10:

    

    Make the ITALIAN MERINGUE (cooked egg-white cream). Add the water to the sugar and cook until the color changes slightly. The syrup is ready when a drop forms a soft ball in cold water. As the syrup cooks, I start whipping the whites with a pinch of salt, gradually increasing speed and adding the vanillin and lemon juice, whipping to stiff peaks. Still whipping, pour in the hot syrup in a thin stream and keep going until the mixture cools. The cream turns thick and fluffy.

11. Step 11:

    

    Put 1 tsp of your favorite jam or thick preserves in the bottom of each cooled tartlet.

12. Step 12:

    

    Top the jam with a generous swirl of meringue. Or just cover the jam lightly and finish with fresh berries or slices of soft fruit — whatever you like.