On a wide, well-floured work surface, roll out the pastry in a rough circle, about the thickness of a pound coin. Shape into a rough thick disc by hand, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour. With the power still on, add the egg and then a trickle of chilled water, until it just brings the pastry together into a medium-soft dough. I definitely think it needs a little something to cut through the sweetness, but it really is a lovely dessert, and shouldn’t be Kent’s little secret any more!ġ25g unsalted butter 90g caster sugar 1 large egg Chilled waterĤ00g tin evaporated milk 330g unrefined light muscovado sugarįirst, make the pastry by hand, or in a processor, whizz the flour, sugar and butter together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. I thought I’d combine it with fresh raspberries, which provide a nice fruity lift in addition to that essential sharpness.īut it’s up to you it would also be great later in the year with stone fruit such as peaches, apricots or nectarines, fresh British strawberries or even a little rhubarb compote. Just make sure you leave a little room for expansion when pouring in the filling – you may not need absolutely all of it.Īs I’ve mentioned, it’s a terribly sweet tart, so I immediately knew I wanted something sharp to act as a foil to all that sugar. So on the second attempt, I played it safe I added an egg to my recipe, just to boost the setting a little, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Most of the filling burst out over the top of the tart and flowed, magma-like, all over the oven. On my first attempt, I overfilled my pastry case with disastrous results. The tart took no time at all to make, but I did hit a bit of a snag. ![]() Since those childhood days I’ve never found a use for it, and it must be over 20 years since I’d even tasted it – I had myself a little sip before using it in the recipe, for old times’ sake – so it was nice to reacquaint myself with a forgotten friend. Occasionally, as a real treat (or perhaps comfort for a grazed knee or lost Action Man) entire small tins would be sipped through holes punched in the top, like small glasses of the finest sweet wine, reverentially and slowly, under the warm sun. ![]() We used to pour it over fresh strawberries occasionally, and it was always a sweet treat in high summer, served in little cut glass stemmed bowls. I’ve used countless tins of condensed milk, but I’ve not had a tin of Carnation since I was a little boy. It was quite the memory jolt as I opened the tin of evaporated milk, and I thought to myself that it was probably the first tin I’d ever opened for myself. When cooled fully, it can be cut into wobbly slices. This whipped mousse forms a crust in the oven, and when the tart cools it settles and sets to a soft almost-custard, a bit like the filling to a lemon meringue pie. The muscovado sugar adds that unmistakeable caramel-y roundness only an unrefined cane sugar can provide. ![]() The gypsy tart is made simply by baking a sweetened pastry case with a filling of whipped evaporated milk and muscovado sugar, which becomes voluminous and fluffy when whisked for several minutes, ending up with an Angel Delight-y texture. It’s an incredibly easy recipe, using only a few household basics, but it really does punch above its weight – the finished article is a wonderful dish, both sweet and rich, yet with a light, airy texture and satisfying depth of flavour. ![]() Little is known of this sweet pastry, though its name would suggest its origins in the travelling community, and its simplicity would help to confirm this. He wasn’t keen on his school-days gypsy tart, but said that this one was far superior, and that he’d wolfed down several slices. It’s apparent home is Sheppey in Kent, though it’s popular to this day across the whole of the southern county, yet has struggled to find its way out into the British repertoire.Ĭertainly my neighbour Roy, who was born a Kentish lad, confirmed that it was a regular feature at school teas, though his recollection was that it was far more sticky and treacly than this feather-light version. It appears not to have travelled much further than its original home, and as such I thought it would be nice to bring it up north for a bit of a treat. This week, a sweet and sugary concoction, and a dish I’d not come across until recently.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |