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1
Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
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2
Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly and well mixed.
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3
Mix the egg and vanilla together with a fork and stir into the flour mixture.
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4
Gather the dough into a ball and knead just a little.
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5
Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 15 minutes.
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6
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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7
Butter and flour a 9-inch tart pan.
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8
Roll out the dough on lightly floured parchment paper to about 1/8 inch thick.
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9
Chill again for about 5 minutes.
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10
Press the dough into the pan, taking care to tuck the corners in.
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11
Fold the excess dough back onto itself to form a lip all the way around, just slightly higher than the rim of the tart pan.
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12
(This is important, as the filling is very liquidy, and you want to fill the tart all the way to the rim of the pan.
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13
The higher edge will keep the filling from spilling out.)
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14
Keep a tiny ball of excess dough to repair any cracks in the baked shell.
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15
Line the shell with a piece of foil or parchment and fill with dry beans, making sure to press them up against the sides.
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16
Bake for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove the foil and beans, check for cracks, and use your extra dough as spackle to fill them in.
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17
Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cooked through and light golden brown.
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18
Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes.
