Damson Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Prepare the short pastry crust as you would for an apple tart.
Place an inverted cup or a funnel in the center of the pie dish to retain the juice.
Fill and bake
Half fill the dish with damsons, add the brown sugar, then add the remaining damsons.
Cover with the pastry, brush lightly with cold water, and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Damsons
- Provide the tart fruit that cooks down into the filling and gives its sharp flavour.
- Brown sugar
- Sweetens the tart fruit and helps balance its acidity.
- Short paste
- Forms the crisp, sturdy pastry case and top crust that holds the filling.
The step that matters
Placing the inverted cup or funnel. The damsons release a lot of juice as they bake. A cup or funnel in the centre gives the juice a place to collect, so the pastry does not turn soggy and the filling does not boil over the dish.
“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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