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2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.

Stir the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or a fork, pressing the flour against the butter and through the tines, repeating this process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal or sand, until there are no chunks of butter visible.

Stir in the egg yolk with a fork, then stir in the ice water in two additions until a loose dough forms.

Dribble a few drops of water on your work surface, then lay a piece of wax paper over them. Dust lightly with flour, then gather the dough into a ball and place it on the floured paper. Press down lightly until the dough looks like a partially deflated basketball, then dust lightly with flour. Lay a second sheet of wax paper over the dough and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle.

Peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Pick up the dough and the bottom sheet of wax paper; invert both over a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (the bottom is in place, of course). Center the dough over the pan and peel off the wax paper.

Gently push the dough into the pan, getting it into the corners and up the sides without tearing it. Trim off any excess above the pan’s rim. The natural fluting of the edge will crimp the dough decoratively; just make sure the dough itself is pressed against this edge and formed to it.

Prick the dough in several places across the bottom and sides with a fork. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the dough in the pan and fill the foil with 2 cups ceramic pie weights or dried beans. (The beans will be worthless for cooking later, but can be used again and again as pie weights.)

Bake for 15 minutes, then peel off the foil, taking the weights or beans with it. Continue baking until lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes.

To cool: Set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before using. (Be careful when handling the pan: the sides can slip off the crust if you place your hand under the pan’s bottom.)

To store: Once completely cooled, the pan and crust together can be wrapped tightly with plastic and kept at room temperature for 24 hours.

Berry Cream Tart

Here’s the fruit tart that’s always beckoning from pastry shop windows: a traditional pastry cream topped with fresh fruit and glazed with melted jam. For an even smoother pastry cream, see the variations. Makes one 10-inch tart

2 cups whole or low-fat milk (do not use fat-free)

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 prebaked, cooled tart crust made from Sweet Pastry Dough in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom

2 cups raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, sliced hulled strawberries, or a combination of any of these

¼ cup red currant, raspberry, or white grape jelly

½ tablespoon water

Place the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until a few wisps of steam come off the surface; adjust the heat so that the milk does not come to a simmer but remains this hot.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick, satiny ribbons run off the turned-off beaters, ribbons that do not immediately dissolve back into the mixture, about 4 minutes.

Beat in the vanilla and salt until smooth, then beat in the flour until fully dissolved, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure every grain is incorporated.

Beat about half the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, then beat this combined mixture back into the hot milk in the pan until smooth. Reduce the heat to low (if you’re working with an electric stove, use a second burner just now turned to low) and cook, stirring constantly, until thick, smooth, and just beginning to bubble, about 3 minutes.

Pour into a large, clean bowl. Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. (It can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2