One of the pleasures of watching something like “The Great British Bake Off” is learning that in baking, as in Shakespeare, “a rose by any other name” is part of the learning process. The differences in nomenclature and pronunciation always add to the enjoyment. Aubergine is eggplant, corgette is zucchini, and over there it’s shal-LOT, not SHAL-lot. When it comes to translating recipes from the King’s English, my all-time favorite is ‘a knob of butter’ (which is something like 2 Tablespoons – 1/4 of a standard stick).
Recently, I saw a demonstration for the making of what appeared to me to be a tart shell. Little did I know that it’s also referred to as a ‘pastry case’. Not only did I learn new nomenclature, but the recipe produces a great pastry case/tart shell (pictured), and the touted variety of uses, both sweet and savory, is not hyperbole. It’s a very versatile, very edible tool for your culilnary war chest, and much easier to make than the recipe and instructions would indicate. Actually, you can make it using store-bought pie crusts (the kind you unroll to use, not the ones already in the pan, though you could, in a pinch.
This is the pastry case, empty, and just waiting to be filled, almost any way you want, and in this case, with a filling that doesn’t need to be baked. This particular case is slightly sweet, and as you can see in the recipe, it’s baked twice. The first is a blind bake, using parchment or foil and some pie weights, beans, rice, or lentils. The second is a shorter bake after you brush the inside with egg white. This not only gives the case some color, it also creates a barrier, preventing a soggy bottom.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff!!
The real impetus behind my intrigue with pastry cases was taking a shot at making what, to me, sounded like a fantastic taste sensation – Banoffee. If you like grammar as much as I do, you’ll recognize Banoffee as a portmanteau, combining banana and toffee. What could possibly go wrong when you fill a flakey pastry case with a layer of chewy toffee, a layer of fresh banana, and top it with whipped cream. And if that’s not enough, Cocoa powder, shaved chocolate, or a chocolate drizzle just keep it going!
Not so much for the sweet? Then let’s go savory.
This tomato-rich side dish is a take on the Heirloom Tomato Crostata featured some time ago. The only difference is that rather than the rustic fold-over of the dough, I lined a tart tin, and then baked it according to the instructions for the crostata. And you don’t need to blind bake the crust for this one.
Nothing says sunshine like lemon, and a pastry case loaded with Lemon Curd is about as bright a dessert as you could want. Whether you cloud over this sun with clouds of whipped cream or meringue is strictly up to you.
State your own case by making a pastry case or two, and have fun figuring out what you want to do with it. I think you’ll enjoy it!
never 2 old 2 start cooking 
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