In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour, 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter
In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, vanilla, and just 1 tablespoon (ignore the amount below - it's a technical issue I can't fix) of milk. Stir this into the dry ingredients.
1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons milk of choice
Use your hands to gently bring the dough together. The dough should be crumbly but cohesive when squeezed. It won’t form a ball or a loose ball like with pie dough. Add a little more milk, if needed.
I placed a piece of plastic wrap in a mixing bowl and then dumped the dough into it and wrapped it up into a very loose, crumbly disc.
Chill for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Grease 4 mini ( 4.75" or 12 cm) tart pans with removable bottoms.
Take a fourth of the dough crumbles (I used 91 grams, but I used the extra tablespoon of milk - if you follow the recipe exactly, you can use 88 grams) and place in the pan.
Press up the sides and evenly over the bottom of the pan. Do the same with the other 3 tart pans.
Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Towards the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and place a baking sheet large enough to fit all 4 tartlets in the lower third of your oven.
After 30 minutes of chilling, place the tartlets directly onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating halfway through if you notice them browning too quickly in certain areas, until the sides are nicely browned and the bottom has browned a bit.
Remove the baking sheet and tartlets from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the filling. After about 10 minutes, the crusts should be cooled enough for you to remove them from the baking sheet and place them on the cooling rack. Put the baking sheet back in the oven. Once baked, store the tart shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.