Pâte Sucrée, or sweet shortcrust pastry, is a rich, slightly crumbly pastry with a higher ratio of fat to flour than some other pastry recipes. With added sugar, it's slightly sweet and very good.
Fit the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and butter to the bowl and mix on low until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the sugar to the bowl, mix to combine, then add the egg yolks. Again, mix on low until the yolks are well distributed and the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
With the mixer running on low, slowly dribble 2 tablespoons of ice water into the flour.
Let it mix for a minute to see if the dough will begin to gather together. If the dough is still quite dry and crumbly, continue to add water, ½ teaspoon at a time, until the dough begins to clump together. Stop the mixer.
Dump the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into two. Quickly gather and shape each dough portion into a smooth disc.
Wrap the discs in plastic or bees wax wrap and chill them in the fridge for a minimum of one hour.
To Blind Bake
Remove one disc of dough from the fridge, and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling. Have a 9-inch (23-cm) tart tin with a removable bottom ready.
Line a work surface with a piece of wax paper large enough for the rolled out dough.
Sprinkle the paper lightly with flour and place the unwrapped disc on the paper.
Sprinkle the top of disc lightly with flour then top with a second piece of wax paper.
Begin to gently roll the dough, turning the paper ¼ turn with each roll, until the dough is rolled approximately 12-inches (30 cm) in diameter.
Gently slide your hand under the bottom sheet of wax paper and flip the dough over.
Carefully peel away the sheet of wax paper which had originally been on the bottom.
Gently flip the dough back over and do your best to centre it in the tart tin. The exposed bottom of the dough should now be laying in the tin, and the top should still have the paper on it.
Once the dough is positioned in the tin, gently peel away the top sheet of paper.
Use your fingertips to gently press the dough into and against the bottom and up into the inside walls of the tin.
Once finished, use the rolling pin to roll around the edges of the tin, neatly cutting any overhang. You can use these overhanging pieces to patch any tears or holes in the dough.
Place the unbaked tart crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Remove the crust from the freezer and gently line it with a large piece of aluminum foil.
Fill the foil with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice.
Place the crust in the preheated oven and bake it for 20 minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven and remove the pie weights and foil.
Return the crust to the oven and bake it for 10 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.