Tag: Tarta

Apple Tart – French Style

  • This recipe is based on one in a new (to me) Polish book about pastries & cakes.
  • It is however rather like some French tarts.
  • I have changed it around quite a bit.
  • The shortcrust pastry used is different from my own in that a whole egg is used rather than just yolks.
  • Having the egg white in the pastry makes the dough much harder and stronger and easier to work with.
  • But it is not as “short” or crumbly.

INGREDIENTS – Pastry

  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 egg – beaten
  • 125g butter – softened
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • Water
  • Pinch of salt

INGREDIENTS – filling

  • 3 – 4 eating apples depends on the size
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • *
  • 150ml soured cream
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • *
  • Melted butter for greasing the tart tin.

METHOD 

  • Rub the butter into the flour till it is like breadcrumbs.
  • Mix in the salt and sugar.
  • Start to add the egg yolk and then the water as needed.
  • Make into a ball – leave in a cool place for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190°C.
  • Brush the melted butter over the base and side of a 20 cm loose bottomed tart tin.
  • *
  • Peel and core the apples and cut them into quarters or eighths – depending on the size of the apples.
  • Pour the lemon juice over them.
  • *
  • Roll out the pastry and line the base and sides of the tart tin.
  • Prick the pastry all over with a fork.
  • Place the apples in a neat pattern on the pastry.
  • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the apples.
  • Bake for around 20 -30 minutes. 
  • *
  • Meanwhile whisk 2 yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar until creamy.
  • Mix in the soured cream.
  • *
  • Take the tart out of the oven and pour the egg mixture over it.
  • Put back in the oven and bake until the “custard” sets – could be 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Cool the tart on a wire cooling rack.
  • *
  • Royal Grafton Woodside tea plate

Courgette Tart

  • This delicious recipe originated from an old Yorkshire recipe for marrow  tart.
  • Did you know that marrow and courgettes are varieties of the same species – Cucurbita pepo? 
  • As courgettes are more abundant in shops now I decided to use these in the tart.
  • The amount of sugar in the original recipe was too much – everyone thought it was too sweet.
  • The ratio of courgettes to sugar has been adjusted and now very well liked.

INGREDIENTS

  • Shortcrust pastry – kruche ciasto
  • *
  • 500g courgettes
  • 2 large lemons
  • 350g sugar
  • 85g butter
  • *
  • Beaten egg white to brush

METHOD

  • First make the filling.
  • Peel the courgettes and cut them into chunks.
  • Steam the courgettes till they are soft.
  • Leave to cool and dry them off.
  • Mash the courgettes using a potato masher.
  • Put the courgettes, lemon rind and juice, sugar and butter into a small saucepan.
  • Heat them up and simmer whilst stirring until the mixture is thick.
  • Leave to cool completely.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Line a tart tin – loose bottomed is best – with the shortcrust pastry.
  • Place on a metal baking sheet.
  • Fill with the filling.
  • Use strips of pastry to partly cover the top.
  • Brush the pastry with the egg white.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 mins.
  • Royal Doulton Sonnet &
  • Duchess Silver Rose Tea Plates
  • *
  • I am sure I will be able to think of other other ideas for this filling.

Lemon Meringue Pie

  • I am sure this would be a popular dessert in Poland and would be a bezowa (meringue) tarta (tart)
  • This is said to have originated in the United States of America.

  • Custard pies of various kinds using egg yolks had been made in Britain and then America for years but the first mention of Lemon Meringue Pie is in a cookery book of 1869.

  • Mrs Elizabeth Goodfellow, who ran a pastry shop in Philadelphia, decided to use the leftover egg whites as a topping over a lemon custard.

  • Mrs Elizabeth Goodfellow also started America’s first cookery school.

     

    INGREDIENTS

    Shortcrust pastry

    *

    40g cornflour

    25g butter

    300ml water

    2 lemons rind & juice

    2 egg yolks

    50g caster sugar

    *

    2 egg whites

    50g & 50g caster sugar

    METHOD

    It is best to use a metal dish especially one with a loose base.

    Any diameter from 18cm to 22cm.

    Grease the dish well.

    Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line the dish.

    Place a circle of baking paper over the base and add “baking beans”.

    Bake blind at GM 7 – 220°C for around 15 minutes.

    Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes.

    Leave to cool.

    *

    In a saucepan blend a little of the water with the cornflour.

    Add the rest of the water and the butter.

    Bring to the boil and then lower the heat

    Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

    Remove from the heat.

    Add the lemon rind and juice.

    Add the yolks and 50g of caster sugar.

    Mix well and leave to cool.

    *

    Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160°C.

    *

    Fill the pastry with the lemon mixture.

    *

    Whisk the egg whites till stiff.

    Whisk in 50g of caster sugar till stiff.

    Fold in 50g of caster sugar.

    Cover the pie with the egg white mixture.

    Make random peaks over the surface.

    Bake for 25 minutes.

    *

    Leave to cool before serving.

    OPTION

    If you have an extra egg white, say from making the pastry, use this with extra sugar for the topping.

  • Served here on Royal Doulton Tapestry.