Currant and Apple Tart

In the late 1920s the Victorian Dried Fruits Board ran a series of advertisements in the Argus encouraging housewives to add sultanas, raisins and currants to common recipes. Their Dried Fruits Recipe on 6 March 1928 - recipe number 36 - added both raisins and currants to apple tart. Rather than giving the tart a pastry lid, I'm using fewer apples and covering them with a cream filling adapted from an Alsatian Apple Tart.


Pastry

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp sugar
90g butter
2 egg yolks

Rub butter into flour and sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and knead until pastry is elastic and can be formed into a shiny ball. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for 20 mins.

Filling

3-4 small Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp currants
3 dessertspoons sugar
1 whole egg
1 dessertspoon plain flour
150 ml cream
1/2 teasp ground cinnamonWhen ready to assemble the tart, roll pastry thin enough to line a greased 23cm flan tin.Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Arrange apple slices in two concentric circles on pastry base. Fill any gap in the middle with small apple slices. Scatter currants on top.

In a bowl, whisk sugar and egg, add flour and blend until smooth. Stir in cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour cream mixture over apples.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 35-40 minutes. Dust with icing sugar if desired. Serve warm or cold.