How To Bake Tart Shells Ahead Of Time

Home cooks, cosplaying chefs, and would-be bakers can sometimes spend as much time planning ahead as they do executing recipes à la minute. Managing time down to the second is a coveted quality of industry professionals, and those playing along in residential kitchens might need a more generous grace period for all those preparations. So, anything that can be made ahead, or otherwise borrowed from restaurant meal prep hacks you can recreate, should. Desserts are typically conducive to such foresight.

Tart shells, in particular, are great candidates for pre-baking. Once set, they can act as the vehicle for practically any sweet treat you can conceive of. And tart shells do not require any special treatment to sit overnight or even for a few days awaiting that filling. Simply bake the tarts of your heart's desire, let cool to prevent steaming once removed to an airtight container like this lidded Pyrex option, and leave in a cool, dark place for around 48 hours without risking quality.

If you've got a whole week's worth of food prep ahead for something like a holiday extravaganza, then tart shells are still a terrific dessert to begin in advance, as they'll last about that long in the refrigerator. You can also freeze baked tart shells for around three months before their quality begins to notably decline. But, while perfectly serviceable, neither will be an exact match for tarts that have been baked more recently.

A little culinary sleight of hand can distract from any leftover quality. If you are working with refrigerated or frozen baked tart shells, there are some filling options that will obscure hints like slightly diminished flakiness. Ice cream or gelato are the obvious contenders. as they would begin to sink in and soften the tarts as they melt even with a fresh batch of tarts. Top it all with a bit of basic, foolproof whipped cream, and a cherry on top for petite sundaes, and no one will be the wiser.