Cuire à blanc

In some recipes, you might see "cuire à blanc" or "faire cuire à blanc".
It only means you must bake the pie shell alone. This is generally asked for a stawberry pie for example. It's only because if you bake this kind of fruit, your pie will be a real swamp. But it's also used in other recipes to have a crunchy result.

How do I do ?
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface.
Put a baking sheet in a baking pan. Then add the pastry :

Cover the pastry with a baking sheet :

Cover this baking sheet with any kind of dried bean.

Bake as indicated (usually at least 20 minutes, 180°C). Then remove the beans and top baking sheet. Add the filling on the pie.
Bon appétit !

Back to the lexique