Making the Dough:

Sanding Method:

• Mix your flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut the ice-cold butter into cubes and add to the dry mixture. Using a pastry blender, mix the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand.
• Add the vanilla and egg yolk and mix by hand until you have a crumbly dough coming together. Remove from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface and fold and press the dough into itself until you can form it into a smooth ball. Press into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

Creaming Method:

• Bring the butter and egg to room temperature. Place the butter and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, or a mixing bowl if using a hand mixer. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until it comes together, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg yolk and mix on low speed for another 2-3 minutes until everything is incorporated and you see no dry flour spots.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and press and fold the dough into a smooth ball. Press into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

Rolling the Dough:

• Depending on how long the dough is refrigerated, you’ll want to set it out at room temperature for 10-30 minutes before rolling. The dough should feel soft enough to push a finger indent into, but still cold.
• Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Add a little flour to the top of the disc and to your rolling pin as well. Slowly roll the dough out using even pressure and turning the dough as you roll. Flip the dough over occasionally and add some more flour if it starts to stick. Continue rolling the dough until it’s about 12-inches in diameter and ⅛^th inch thick. Use the ring of the tart pan you’ll be baking with as a guide.
• Using your rolling pin, gently roll the dough around it and unroll it over your tart pan. Slowly and gently press the dough down into the corners and against the sides of the pan without stretching the dough until everything looks even and flat against the surfaces.
• With your rolling pin, you can easily roll it across the top of the tart pan to trim the excess dough. Hold onto the dough just in case you need to apply any patches. Using a fork, poke some holes into the bottom of the tart shell (this will help it from puffing up as it blind bakes). Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and place back into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Blind Baking the Crust:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C.
• Remove the tart crust from the fridge and place a large piece of parchment paper over the top of the crust. It should hang over the sides of the pan, so if your parchment paper isn’t wide enough, use two pieces in an X pattern. Fill the parchment covered tart shell with pie weights. If you don’t have any, you can also use about two cups of dry rice or beans, or even granulated sugar. This step is important so that the pastry dough doesn’t puff up or collapse inwards while blind baking without a filling.
• Par Baking the Crust – If the crust is going to be filled and baked some more, you’ll want to “par bake” the crust. Place the tart pan onto another pan and place on the center rack of your oven. Cook for 12-15minutes and remove. Gently lift the pie weights and parchment out of the shell and set aside. The dough should appear just cooked and maybe slightly wet. Place back into the oven and continue baking another 5 minutes. The dough should no longer be wet and just starting to show some golden-brown coloring.
• Fully Baking the Crust – If the crust is going to be filled with a fully cooked product or chilled instead of baked, you’ll want to fully bake the crust instead. Place the tart pan onto another pan and place on the center rack of your oven. Cook for 18-20 minutes and remove. Gently lift the pie weights and parchment out of the shell and set aside. The dough should appear just cooked and starting to color. Place back into the oven and continue baking another 8-10 minutes. The dough should look fully cooked with a little browning on the edges. Allow the tart to cool before filling so that you’re less likely to get a soggy bottom.