Place the flour, confectioners sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine all of the ingredients. Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut into the flour--some pieces should be the size of peas, and others should be the size of oatmeal flakes. Add in the egg a little at a time, pulsing a few times after each addition. Once all the egg has been added, process the dough in long pulses--about 10 second increments--until the dough forms large clumps. When you are pulsing and the dough starts to come together, you will notice that the sound of your food processor will change--this is your cue to stop pulsing. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it very lightly and quickly {3-4 times} to incorporate any ingredients that were not mixed in.

For a partially baked crust, remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely after this step. Proceed with the instructions for your chosen recipe.

For a fully baked crust: After removing the foil, bake the crust for an additional 8-10 minutes, until it is firm and golden brown. Keep a careful eye on the crust towards the end of baking, as it can burn very quickly. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool completely before filling it with the lime curd. Keep the tart refrigerated until ready to serve to allow the curd to set in the tart crust.

Comments (3)

Beautiful!! I also like the simplicity of making the crust!

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan using your hands. Once the crust has been pressed evenly into the pan, freeze the crust for a

minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably longer.

Place an oven rack at the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a piece of aluminum foil. Remove the tart pan from the freezer and transfer it to a baking sheet. Cover the tart crust with the piece of buttered aluminum foil, pressing it tightly against the crust. Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Remove the foil. If you notice that the crust has puffed up, gently press it down with the back of a spoon.