Recipe: Black Currant & Red Currant Tarts

Here are a few....

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BLACK CURRANT & RED CURRANT TARTS

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Shortcrust pastry made with
-- wholewheat flour
8 oz Black currants
8 oz Red currants
4 oz Honey
4 tb Chopped sweet cicely
Glace cherries or angelica,
-- optional

Heat oven to 400F. Use the pastry to line 6 tart tins 2-inches deep by 2
inches diameter. Mix the currants with the honey & cicely. Fill the pastry
with the currants. Cover each tart individually with foil & place on a
baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Let them cool completely.

If you wish, whip up some cream & pipe it onto the tarts. Decorate with
glace cherries or angelica.
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RODGROD MED FLODE (NORWEGIAN FRUIT JELLY WITH CREAM)

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pt Red currants
1 pt Raspberries
2 c Water
1/2 c Sugar
1 tb Cornstarch
2 tb Water
1 t Vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, rinse fruit. Combine fruit and water; simmer over
medium heat about 10 minutes. Drain; stir in sugar. Blend cornstarch and
cold water into a smooth paste. Add cornstarch to fruit, stirring
constantly. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and
stir in vanilla. Sieve mixture, if desired. Chill. Serve with cream and
decorate with blanched almonds, if desired.

4 servings


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OLD-FASHIONED CURRANT TART

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----PASTRY DOUGH-----
1/2 c Unsalted butter
1/4 c Sugar
1 t Vanilla extract
1 Egg yolk
1 1/4 c Cake flour
-----PASTRY CREAM-----
1 c Milk
1/4 c Sugar
3 Egg yolks
3 tb Flour
1 t Vanilla
-----FINISHING-----
3 pt Fresh red currants
- rinsed and stemmed
1/2 c Toasted, sliced almonds
Confectioners' sugar
-----GLAZE-----
1 c Red currant jelly
2 tb Kirsch

FOR THE DOUGH: Beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed
until very soft and light. Beat in the vanilla and the yolk and continue
beating until smooth and shiny, about 3 more minutes. Stop the mixer, sift
the cake flour and add to the butter mixture. Pulse the mixer on and off to
incorporate the flour. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic, wrap and
chill it until firm. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM: Combine the milk and half the
sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar
and sift the flour over and whisk it in. Beat 1/3 of the boiling milk into
the yolk mixture and return the remaining milk to a boil. Beat the yolk
mixture into the boiling milk and continue beating until the cream thickens
and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Scrape the
cream onto a clean plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill. Roll the dough
and fit it into a 10-to-11-inch tart pan. Cut a disk of parchment paper to
fit the inside of the dough and fill with dried beans. Preheat oven to
325F. Bake the tart shell about 20 minutes, until set. Remove the paper and
beans and continue baking 5 minutes more to color the pastry. Do not
over-bake. Cool the shell in the pan. Spread the cooled pastry cream on the
cooled tart shell. Arrange the currants on the pastry cream. Bring the
jelly and kirsch to a boil and strain. Reduce to thicken if necessary.
Brush the glaze on the berries. Edge the tart with the almonds and sprinkle
the almonds with the confectioners' sugar.


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SUMMER PUDDING
==============

Ingredients:
------------
10 to 14 slices firm-textured white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed
4 cups raspberries, rinsed drained
4 cups red currants, stemmed and washed

(the recipe suggests substituting other berries such as blackberries,
blueberries, loganberries, etc in any combination if currants and/or
raspberries are unavailable)

1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's (icing) sugar

Instructions:
-------------
Line the bottom and sides of a 2 quart mixing bowl, souffle dish,
pudding basin or other round mold with the bread slices, overlapping the
pieces slightly. (You may wish to cut the bread slices in half for a
more decorative effect). Reserve enough bread to cover the top of the
pudding.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, combine the raspberries, currants and
sugar with 1 tablespoon of water. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Pour the fruit mixture into the bread-lined mold and cover completely
with the reserved bread slices. Cover the top of the pudding with a
plate taht fits snugly within the top of the mold, and weigh down the
plate with a heavy can or water in a covered plastic container.
Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, unmold the pudding onto a serving platter.

Hm, this recipe says to beat the cream and serve the pudding with that.
I'd serve it with a pouring custard, myself. Or don't beat the cream
and just pour over (that sounds better).


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Title: Fruit Custard Pies

1/2 c Sugar
1 t Flour
1/2 t Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
2 1/2 c Milk
1/2 To
3/4 c Fruit

Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and beaten eggs. Scald the
milk and add it gradually. Pour into the pie shell, dot the berries over
the custard.
Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until a silver knife
into the middle comes out clean.
Try it with cherries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries,
red or black currants, raisins or dried currants, soaked first.

From "More Food that Really Schmecks" by Edna Staebler.