Pastry making

Food tip on pastry making

A blind baked pastry case means cooking the pastry case without a filling, so as not to end up with soggy pastry. This is achieved by:

• Rolling the pastry (no more than 5mm thick) and lining the flan ring/tart mould

• Docking the pastry: lightly piercing the base with a fork; this will stop any air bubbles from forming resulting in an uneven base

• Cutting a sheet of greaseproof paper in a circle 4cm large than the flan ring/tart mould (to allow for the sides); this is called a cartouche

• Place the cartouche in the pastry case and filling with baking beans; these can be of the commercial re-usable synthetic type, or any type of lentil or similar. It is obviously best to use something that you can keep afterwards and re-use. Rice can also be used but burns and must be discarded after a single use.

• Allow to rest for at least an hour in the chiller before placing in the pre-heated oven (180ºC) and baking for 20 minutes

• Remove from oven, remove the baking beans and cartouche and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes

• Brush with a little egg beaten with some milk and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. This will act as a sealant and prevent the pastry absorbing any moisture from the filling used

• Remove from the oven and allow to cool before using