How can you prevent a short crust pastry in a tart from becoming soggy when using a moist or slightly juicy filling?
This question was asked this week by Lucie after she tried my strawberry tart recipe. The tart looked and tasted great on the day but the next morning it felt watery (Lucie, how could you have leftovers? You will need to enlighten me on this one!). The soggy crust problem extends to all tarts and quiches with a moist and juicy filling, overtime the moisture penetrates the pastry and makes it soggy. There are two easy ways to prevent this from happening and keep a nicely crispy crust, even after one or two days in the fridge. The first one is to brush the pastry with a bit of beaten egg in the last 5-6 minutes of baking it (even with quiches, you can pre-bake the pastry 6-7 minutes in a medium heat oven to waterproof it before adding the filling). The cooked egg will create a waterproof film that will form a barrier between the moisture of the filling and the pastry. Another way, only suitable for desserts, is to melt chocolate and brush the bottom of your cooked pastry with it. This not only adds a lovely taste (it would do wonders on the strawberry tart!) but it also acts the same way as the egg, forming a film that will protect your pastry from sogginess. Voila, another secret to enjoy your tarts for longer!This question was asked this week by Lucie after she tried my strawberry tart recipe. The tart looked and tasted great on the day but the next morning it felt watery (Lucie, how could you have leftovers? You will need to enlighten me on this one!). The soggy crust problem extends to all tarts and quiches with a moist and juicy filling, overtime the moisture penetrates the pastry and makes it soggy. There are two easy ways to prevent this from happening and keep a nicely crispy crust, even after one or two days in the fridge. The first one is to brush the pastry with a bit of beaten egg in the last 5-6 minutes of baking it (even with quiches, you can pre-bake the pastry 6-7 minutes in a medium heat oven to waterproof it before adding the filling). The cooked egg will create a waterproof film that will form a barrier between the moisture of the filling and the pastry. Another way, only suitable for desserts, is to melt chocolate and brush the bottom of your cooked pastry with it. This not only adds a lovely taste (it would do wonders on the strawberry tart!) but it also acts the same way as the egg, forming a film that will protect your pastry from sogginess. Voila, another secret to enjoy your tarts for longer!
3 Comments to “How can you prevent a short crust pastry in a tart from becoming soggy when using a moist or slightly juicy filling?”
June 18th, 2010 at 10:37 am
That’s really helpful. Funnily enough, I was wondering about this only a couple of days ago. Thank you!
June 18th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
VERY clever!My way of dealing with the problem was never to have any left overs
But this is so simply and brilliant!
Thank you.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:22 am
Dear Mia and Roger, I am glad you found this simple tip helpful. Mia, in my house too, tart leftovers are a rare occurrence!