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Medieval Lenten Tart

A tart of salted fish with pears, apples, raisins, prunes, dates, figs, spices, and a lemon‑wine glaze.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 23 ingredients
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Why it works: Pear and apple match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 649 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓

Medieval Lenten Tart

Oven425°F; 375°F
Time15-25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the crust

  1. Cubeb, an aromatic pepper, can still be bought in many spice shops.

  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F and bake the pie crust for 10 minutes.

  3. Let the crust cool.

Prepare the fish

  1. Cut the fish into 1 1/2" chunks, salt lightly, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp lemon juice.

  2. Set the fish mixture aside.

Cook the fruit

  1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet and toss the pear and apple slices in it until they are lightly coated.

  2. Combine the wine, lemon juice, brown sugar, spices, and dried fruits, and add to the mixture in the skillet.

  3. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft but still firm.

  4. Check the flavoring, and drain off excess liquid.

Assemble and bake

  1. Paint jelly on the pie crust.

  2. Combine fish chunks with fruit and place the mixture in the crust.

  3. Bake at 375°F for 15-25 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

894Calories
48 gProtein
28 gFat
117 gCarbs

Counts 14 of 17 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 14 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Salmon100g cooked208
Haddock100g cooked112
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Pear1 medium (178g)101
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Date1 date (24g) medjool66
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Fig1 medium (50g)37
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Pie Crustnot in our table0
Prunenot in our table0
Red Currantnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Pear + appletop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together649 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  2. Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,774 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Pear + clovetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together512 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Apple + white winetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together372 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).

  5. Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,083 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Salmon
Forms the main filling, providing the flaky, tender body of the tart.
Pears
Soften during simmering to add sweetness and moisture to the filling.
Apples
Soften during simmering to add body and moisture to the fruit filling.
Raisins
Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture as they plump in the wine.
Red currant jelly
Brushed on the crust to add a glossy finish and fruity sweetness.

The step that matters

Drain off excess liquid. Excess liquid from the simmered fruit and wine can soak the pastry and make the filling watery, so the crust may turn soggy during baking.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (salmon, lemon, butter, pear, apple, white wine, sugar):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Gingerfits better
  3. Thymefits about as well
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against salmon, lemon, butter, pear, apple, white wine, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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