Ingredients

• 375g pack JusRol shortcrust pastry
• A little flour
• 175g dark chocolate, broken into chunks
• 50g butter
• 4 medium eggs, beaten with a fork
• 200ml maple syrup
• 50g ground almonds
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200g pecans, 150g very roughly chopped

Equipment required

• Rolling Pin
• Tart Tin
• Greaseproof paper
• Baking Beans
• Saucepan

Techniques Used

• How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry
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  How to Roll Shortcrust Pastry

  

  1. For best results when rolling out shortcrust pastry use a large, clean dry area of the work surface and lightly dust it with plain flour.
  2. Place pastry dough on surface and lightly dust it and the rolling pin with flour.
  3. Roll pastry firmly, always rolling away from you, give the dough 2-3 rolls.
  4. Then turn the dough a quarter turn.
  5. Dust again if necessary and continue rolling out, frequently turning the pastry so it is not always rolled in the same direction as this causes shrinkage.
  6. When the pastry has increased in size, pick it up to turn/ line the tin by rolling it round the rolling pin.
  7. Lift the pin with the pastry around it carefully and turn it to lay out and continue rolling. Again this is done to prevent the pastry from stretching as you lift it which in turn would result in shrinkage in baking. Shortcrust pastry should be rolled out to approx. 3-5 mm. depth.
• How to Blind Bake Pastry
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  How to Blind Bake Pastry

  Once a flan tin or ring has been lined you may wish to bake it unfilled (baking blind), to then fill later with a cold filling or one which requires a lower cooking temperature. It is always best, if time allows, to chill the unbaked flan in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before baking blind.

  • 1. Take a large piece of silicone baking or greaseproof paper and pleat it so that you can fit it into the flan tin easily.
    2. Press paper gently into flan case and allow excess to stand up around edges.
    3. Cover base with baking beans or similar. It is possible to buy ceramic baking beans which are re-usable, otherwise use uncooked rice, split peas or similar to weight down the base.
    4. Bake the flan according to recipe instructions, generally the flan is baked for 12-15 minutes then the paper and beans removed and the flan returned to oven to finish baking to a golden brown.