Use the dough scraps to patch any cracks. Let the tart shell rest in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. To prebake the shell, preheat the oven to 180°C and transfer the tart shell directly ...
(Resting the pastry after each step will ensure that the pastry doesn't shrink during baking, producing neat and even tartlet shells.) 7. Cut out discs of the pastry and carefully line the metal ...
Pasta shells. Choose easy-to-fill jumbo pasta shells for this recipe. Jumbo shells are sold with the other kinds of pasta in the grocery store (often on the top shelf next to the lasagna noodles).
Don’t skip weighing your tart shells down with pie weights or dried beans for the par-baking in Step 3. These weights help to keep the sides of the shell in place and prevent them from slumping.
The tart shells can be baked in advance. The filling shouldn’t be baked more than a couple of hours before serving, or it will make the shells soggy. Add and torch the meringue at the last moment.
If you are a more generous and patient soul than me, and don’t mind taking the meat from the shells, use fresh crabs – these tarts will taste much better. (You’ll need at least two smallish ...