Lining a tart tin properly

Method

1. First, butter the tart tin well using soft butter. I find melted butter tends to sink into the pastry base and can make it soggy.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the chilled, rested pastry to a thickness of about 2mm, turning the pastry 90 degrees every roll. This means you will use less flour to roll it out, which, in turn, means the pastry won’t toughen up. Set a small amount of pastry aside for patching up holes later.
3. Carefully roll the pastry onto a rolling pin, then lift it over the tart tin and unroll it, draping the pastry loosely over the case. Don’t allow the rolling pin to touch the tin as this will cut the pastry.
4. Gently press the pastry into the base of the tin first, making sure it is reaching all the corners. Draw the rest up and over the sides and press lightly. Be very gentle with the pastry as it can tear if you stretch it. Drape the excess pastry over the sides of the tin so that it hangs down the outside by at least 2–3cm. If there are holes, fill them with the spare pastry.
5. Line the whole tin with a double layer of clingfilm (make sure you use proper clingfilm, not food wrap) then fill with flour, uncooked rice, or dried beans. Gather the clingfilm loosely over the top of the filling then place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
6. Put the tart on a baking tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully lift out the clingfilm and filling. Brush the inside of the tart with beaten egg yolk – this will seal any small holes that may have appeared in the tart case.
7. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the pastry is just lightly golden and cooked through. You can reuse the baked flour, rice or beans for blind baking.
8. For a clean finish, use a sharp knife to trim the pastry edges off once the tart case is fully cooked – you can do this with or without the filling.