Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.

Step 2

Chop butter into rough cubes and scatter over flour and pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look crumbly.)

Step 3

Add 3 Tbsp ice water through the tube of the food processor, pulsing once each time. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. Add the vodka and continue to pulse until the dough comes together in a ball and gets awkward spinning in the machine.

Step 4

Remove dough from the bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball, then create a disc and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days (If I am in a hurry, which I always am, I freeze the dough for 30 minutes).

Step 5

On parchment paper or a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough disc to a 15-inch round circle about 1/8 inch high. Check for size by inverting tart pan over dough round. You want a 1-inch edge around the tart pan.

Step 6

Carefully press the dough into the pan, mounding the sides up a bit higher than the pan by folding over excess dough. Press the tines of a fork into the pastry down to the pan about 12 times with a fork to “dock” the crust.

Step 7

Place tart in the freezer for 15 minutes while you make the filling. Transfer the tart pan to a baking sheet. Set in oven and par-bake at 375 degrees until the crust is dry and set up and starting to pull from the sides, 15-18 minutes. or so