Ingredients

• 1 500g Shortcrust Pastry Block
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 Courgettes cut into ribbons
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sprinkle of salt
• 200g peas defrosted
• 2 eggs
• 200ml creme fraiche
• 30g parmesan cheese
• Handful of rocket leaves to serve

Equipment required

• 23cm Fluted tart Tin Baking paper
• Baking paper
• Baking Beans
• Wire rack
• Medium bowl
• Whisk
• Jug
• Baking Sheet

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.
• How to Line a Flan Tin
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  How to Line a Flan Tin

  1. Roll out the pastry. Measure tin over rolled out pastry to ensure you will have enough to line the insides of the tin with a little excess to make it easier to work.
  2. Lift up pastry around rolling pin and gently unroll over flan tin, starting with the edge nearest to you.
  3. Gently ease the pastry into the tin, pressing it down the sides onto the base.
  4. Once you have pushed it in all the way round, go around again to press well down on to base, so that there is almost a ‘pleat’ of pastry at base of sides, and press into the flutes.
  5. Fold back excess pastry so that it hangs over the sides of the tin.
  6. To cut off the excess pastry roll the pin firmly over the top of the tin in both directions.
  7. Gently pull away excess pastry.
  8. Now gently pull up the sides of the pastry from the small excess you left at base so that the pastry stands slightly proud of the top. This will ensure a good depth to the sides of the flan if the pastry shrinks slightly in cooking.