There are two methods of making pastry: the traditional method and the modern method (recommended). The traditional method mixes the dry ingredients together and then adds the cold butter to combine and then the wet ingredients so that the gluten in the flour does not have time to be activated by the wet ingredients. This produces a pastry with a �sandier� texture well suited to biscuits. The recommended modern method mixes room temperature butter with the sugar, then adds the egg, and finally the flour so again the gluten in the flour does not have time to be activated by the wet ingredients. The benefit of the modern method is that the pastry is more pliable and easier to work and the warmer butter is more easily blended in so doesn�t leave pieces of butter in the dough which could create holes when baked. The modern method also makes a pastry which is less likely to shrink when baking so does not need to be weighted down. This recipe was adapted and the technique adopted from a cooking class I did at the Intercontinental's Cooking with Culinary Stars featuring Alain Ducasse's Spoon. Please see notes below for variations.