Lesson on Shortcrust Pastry

there is a different recipe of shortcrust pastry in almost every tart or cookie or anything else recipe which requires it. being a kitchen geek, i couldn't help seeking for an exaustive lesson [in italian!] on what is shortcrust and how it is supposed to be and made.
in short, shortcrust has to be crumbly and easy-to lay flat, not elastic as a leavened dough.
and to do this, it is important to create an environment where the formation of gluten is not facilitated: choose a flour with low content of proteins (below 9%), and eventually add a 10% of starch, use ingredients cold from the fridge and knead them for the smallest time needed.
with the following recipe i made about 800gr of pastry, i used half for a tart and i freezed the other half.

Shortcrust Pastry
(makes two tarts)

mix 360gr flour and 40gr of starch with 200gr of butter (from the fridge, cutted in pieces) and two tablespoons of lemon juice. the dough should look as grain of sand now, and thanks to the fats of butter, we have partially isolated the flour, impeding the gluten to form. now add 120gr of icing sugar and form a volcano. add two beaten eggs with a pinch of salt and blend until your pastry is well formed. together with the beaten eggs, you can add flavourings such as vanilla seeds or lemon zest. before use, let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

some may wonder what i finally prepared with the pastry, so here it is:

Grapes Tart

cover a baking tin with grapes cutted in half (be careful to take the seeds off). prepare the filling mixing 200gr of ricotta cheese, one egg and two tablespoons of sugar. cover the grapes with the filling and bake in 180 degrees preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the filling becomes slightly golden.

thanks again to La Dolcetteria for the ispiration!