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 crust pastry as directed in the Apple Tart recipe.
Place an inverted cup or a funnel in the center of a pie dish to retain the juice.
Assemble
Half fill the dish with damsons and add the brown sugar.
Add the remaining damsons on top.
Cover with the pastry, brush lightly with cold water, and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Bake
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for about 1.5 hours.
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 fruit filling, whose juice is retained by the funnel and cooked down to a jammy filling.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the natural tartness of the damsons.
- Short crust pastry
- Forms the crisp, sturdy case that encloses the fruit while it bakes.
The step that matters
Place an inverted cup or funnel in the center of the dish. Fruit releases juice as it bakes. A central funnel lets steam escape and keeps the juice from pooling and soaking the pastry, so the base stays crisp.
“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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