Chef’s hack: Use ground almond to stop pastry getting soggy

Paula Stakelum, executive head pastry chef at Ashford Castle, on the perfect tart pastry


Use almonds in your pastry

The recipe we have created for our sweet pastry contains ground almonds, which we use for all our tarts at Ashford Castle. The almond in the recipe prevents the pastry from becoming soggy, particularly important if the fruit in your tart contains water, which is released during cooking. It also means you don't have to rest your pastry, so you can use it straight away and it doesn't shrink.