Sweet Tartlet Shells

Step 1: By hand: Mix the flour, icing sugar, salt, and almond meal in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix with a rubber spatula until it becomes too thick to stir. Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a dough.

Step 2: Food processor: Fit the processor with its standard metal S blade. Pulse the flour, icing sugar, salt, and almond meal once to combine. Add the butter and pulse 3–4 times until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and process for 15–20 seconds, until the dough comes together.

Step 3: Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Knead lightly until it forms a smooth ball, then flatten it into a 2 cm-thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 4: For standard tartlet tins, cut the disc into 6 equal portions, or divide it according to the number of tins you are using, and roll the pieces into balls. For a muffin tin or many mini tins, roll the dough into one large sheet and cut out rounds instead.

Step 5: Roll each ball into a round about 15 cm in diameter and 3 mm thick.

Step 6: Press the pastry into 6 tartlet tins, about 12 cm in diameter, without stretching it. Roll a rolling pin over the top of each tin to trim the excess dough. The tins do not need greasing.

Step 7: Lightly prick each pastry base about 10 times with a fork, without piercing all the way through. Make fewer pricks for smaller tarts.

Step 8: Refrigerate the pastry in the tins for 30 minutes.

Step 9: Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F, or 180°C fan-forced.

Step 10: Cut or tear baking paper into pieces about 50% larger than the tart shells. Scrunch each piece in your fist, then unfold, smooth it out, and fit it into a tartlet tin. Fill with baking beads, dry rice, or beans.

Tip: Scrunching the paper makes it easier to fit into the corners.

Step 11: Choose the bake according to the filling: par-bake shells that will be baked again with their filling, such as almond cream or frangipane. Fully bake shells for fillings that will not be baked again, such as pastry cream or whipped cream.

Step 12: For par-baked shells, bake for 12 minutes. Use the baking paper overhang to remove the beads, then bake uncovered for 5 minutes. The bases should be pale golden and the edges light golden.

Step 13: For fully baked shells, bake for 15 minutes, remove the beads, then bake uncovered for 5 minutes. The bases should be light golden and the edges golden.

Step 14: Let the shells cool completely in their tins before filling. If the filling needs to be cooked, cool the shells before baking them again with the filling.

Step 15: Store unfilled shells in an airtight container for up to 3 days.