A sandy, short pastry for delicate tartlets and petit fours. High butter and almond flour make it fragile but richly textured. Yield: one 24 cm shell or 12 tartlets. Store baked shells airtight with desiccant if available.
Yield: 1 portions · Prep 35 min · Bake 22 min
Ingredients
250 g plain flour
175 g unsalted butter
90 g icing sugar
35 g almond flour
40 g egg yolk
2 g fine sea salt
Method
Dry mix Combine flour, icing sugar, almond flour, and salt. Sifting prevents sugar pockets and improves the final crumb.
Sand butter Rub or paddle cold butter into the dry mix until the texture resembles damp sand with no large butter lumps.
Add yolk Add yolk and mix just until the dough forms. Overmixing makes the shell tough and increases shrinkage.
Chill Flatten, wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours. The dough is best rolled between sheets at 3-4°C.
Sheet Sheet to 2.5 mm. Cut cleanly, line rings, dock, and freeze before baking to preserve sharp edges.
Bake cleanly Bake at 155-165°C until evenly blonde-golden. Cool fully before moving; warm sablée breaks easily.
