Pastry Recipes

Bakewell Tart (Comment)	Lemon Merangue Tartlets
Bakewell Tart	Treacle Tart
Jam Tartlets Bero Style	Mincemeat
Jam and Lemon Curd Tartlets

BAKEWELL TART (Comment)
[True, true, this is a DERBYSHIRE ("Darbyshuh") gem, Bakewell being a very pleasant small market town in that beautiful county, where so many Sheffielders enjoy their precious leisure time. It is included because virtually every Yorkshire man or woman will associate happy moments with this tart, often served at Sunday tea. The tart is called pudding in Bakewell and is best purchased at The Pudding Shop (which also does mail order, overseas too). It was originally conceived at Bakwell's Rutland Arms Hotel, the result of a misunderstanding on the part of a cook, although I don't know how or why.
You can go to the trouble of mixing your own pastry if you like, but I'm dead lazy, I use frozen pie or tart shells. If you're in the US and using the usual frozen 8" pie shell, try making double the filling and bake it a little longer (keep testing with a toothpick), or place the pie shell on a shallow 9" pie plate. From Mrs. B's, etc.

BAKEWELL TART

• Defrosted 7" pie or tart shell (our use 8" with double recipe of filling, cook longer)
• 2 oz./1/2 stick butter
• 2 oz./4 tablesp. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 oz. fresh white breadcrumbs (approx. 2 slices)
• Almond essence (extract)
• Raspberry jam
• Icing (confectioner's) sugar (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together, beat in egg, add breadcrumbs and flavouring to taste, and mix well (start with a teaspoon or so of almond, taste until right). Spread a good layer of raspberry jam (2-3 tablesp. or so) on the pastry, spread the mixture on top. Bake at 400 for about 1/2 hour. Can sprinkle with icing sugar, serve hot or cold, with or without custard or cream. I always put sliced almonds on top
before baking.
For richer version, add 2 oz. ground almonds and substitute cake crumbs for breadcrumbs.

JAM TARTLETS BE-RO STYLE

From: (Graham Richard)

• Be-Ro short pastry:
  • 8oz S.R. flour
  • half teaspoon salt
  • 1 oz sugar
  • 2 oz margarine
  • cold water (approx. 8 teaspoons)

1. mix flour and salt in basin
2. rub in the lard and margarine lightly until bread-crumbs
3. Stir in the sugar, and using a knife, mix with the cold water to a stiff dough

JAM OR LEMON CURD TARTLETS

1. half the recipe quantity of the Be-Ro short pastry (as above) will make 14 tartlets
2. roll the pastry out thin , and cut into rounds with scone cutter.
3. line pastry tins with same
4. put a little jam or lemon curd in each
5. bake in a moderatly hot oven (375- 400 F.)

Here's the modified versio

LEMON MERINGUE TARTLETS

1. make 12 lemon curd tartlets as above. Ingredients: white of an egg. cherry and angelica. (for us Americans that's marchino and green marichino or if you like green candied fruit), 2oz caster sugar
2. while the tartlets cool, whip the white of an egg until stiff
3. take 1 dessertspoon full of the 2 oz caster sugar and whip with the egg until stiff peaks form.
4. fold in the remainder of sugar
5. pipe the meringue in each and sprinkle with a little caster sugar
6. decorate with the cherry and angelica
7. place in a very cool oven for about 30 mintues to dry the meringue.

( a lot like our version of lemon meringue pie, made into tartlets)

The following recipe is why there is so much interest in "treacle" - this tart is beloved of almost every Brit, and contains - surprise! - the cheapest of ingredients!

TREACLE TART

(Remember UK spoons are 1/3 bigger than US; dessertsp = US tablesp)

• Defrosted 8" pie or tart shell
• 2 tablesp. fresh white breadcrumbs
• 3 tablesp. golden syrup
• 1 level teasp. finely-grated lemon peel
• 1 dessertsp. lemon juice

I don't think my mother used lemon peel in hers, perhaps not even lemon juice. And I think some people add coconut to the breadcrumbs.

MINCEMEAT PIE FILLING:

Donated by Mary Myers. Arizona U.S.A.
[Her] Mother's Mincemeat.
3 pt. beef, after boiled and ground.
6 pt. apples, chopped
3 pt. sugar
1 pt. vinegar
2 pt. water (approx.)
1 (15 oz.) pkg. raisins
1 (11 oz.) pkg. currants
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. allspice
2 Tbsp. cloves

 

Cook meat [suggested simmering time is 3 hrs] and let cool.
Cook remaining ingredients about 1 hour together.
Grind beef [course grind] and add to fruit/spice mixture.
One pint makes enough for one 8" pie, by adding a little more water.

[Mary's testimonial... This is one of my favorite pies and you can't find mincemeat in the stores made like this. The balance can be bottled in 1 pint containers for the freezer, or canned if preferred. There are possibly 8-10 pints for future use. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Sincerely, Mary]