I'm doing my first desserts from Flo Braker's book. When making the press in type pastry shells, I always make the same mistake. Seems like I get the shells too thick. I guess I'm thinking if the shells are really thin they won't support the filling. What is your feeling on this. I can't take a chance with these that they will collapse after being filled.

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, October 24, 2000 - 08:46 am: Edit

Think of it this way....it's the filling that's the star.

It's pretty hard to make a tart shell so thin that it collapses (closer to impossible). As it bakes the dough slides down a bit from the sides and that thickens it as it bakes. Even if the shell was paper thin there is still going to be substance/body to your filling (like mousse or pecan filling)that only requires a thin shell to keep it in place.

The shells are fragile when empty, but after you fill them they aren't because it's no longer a hollow structure.