Ingredients

• 1 x 500g block Jus-Rol™ shortcrust pastry
• 350g pumpkin flesh, cut into pieces
• 3 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 248ml double cream
• 3 eggs Large
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• Crème fraiche, for serving

Equipment required

• Rolling Pin
• Baking paper
• Baking Beans
• 23cm 9inch flan tin
• Food processor wire whisk

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 Ring
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  How to Line a Flan Ring

  1. When lining flan rings, place the ring on a suitably sized heavy baking sheet and roll out pastry as described in ‘Rolling out Pastry’ pages.
  2. Roll pastry around pin as described in ‘Rolling out Pastry’ pages and lay carefully over the flan ring on the tin.
  3. Ease pastry gently into ring and press firmly down sides, again allowing a small excess at base as for the flan tins.
  4. Allow excess pastry to fall over sides and to cut it away use a sharp knife and trim all round the top outside edge of the ring.
  5. Gently ease pastry up all round the inside of the ring as described in the flan tin section so that the pastry stands slightly proud of the top of the ring.
• 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.