Baking Pastry Blind

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It's often the case that a recipe involving a pie crust calls for you to bake the pastry 'blind'. Most cooks will know this involves lining the pastry case with grease-proof paper or similar, pouring in some weights such as dried beans, and baking for around 10 minutes or so.

But what do you do if there are no weights handy? Or ovenproof paper for that matter?

For savory pies, prick the base of the pie all over with a fork and bake in the usual way. As soon as it comes out of the oven use a lint-free cloth such as a tea towel to push back down any parts of the base that have risen. It's only steam that has caused this to happen and you will find your pastry goes back into position quite easily.

For pie crusts such as apple tart, paint the raw pastry shell with melted apricot jam before baking. This will hold everything together for you and also help crisp up the pastry. Allow it too cool slightly before adding your filling.