Picking blackcurrants was my first-ever job. Perhaps I should say the first I was actually paid for – my parents being the sort who felt children should earn their keep chopping logs for the fireplace or mowing the lawn in stripes with military exactitude. I spent many a summer on local farms, picking fruit destined for sweet and sticky cordials.
Without the packed lunches the other workers brought with them I ate blackcurrants for breakfast, lunch and tea – plump berries warmed by the sun. Berries that managed to be sweet and yet piercingly tart at the same time. I have loved them ever since, in ice cream and trifle, soft-crusted pies or warmed with sugar and a little water till they burst, then spooned lavishly over ripe peaches and vanilla ice cream.
This week I added raw currants to an almond tart – not the usual frangipane sponge filling but a soft, macaroon-style interior in a crisp case. The almond mixture was crisp on top, fudgy within and the blackcurrants burst and rippled the mixture with juice. As if that wasn’t enough I made buns too – round, chubby little chaps like Chelseas, stuffed with bleeding purple berries and crunchy with poppy seeds. Happy days indeed.
Blackcurrant almond tart
Serves 8
for the pastry:
butter 100g
caster sugar 100g
egg yolks 2
plain flour 250g
baking powder 1 tsp
water 2 tbsp
for the filling:
ground almonds 200g
icing sugar 200g
plain flour 2 heaped tbsp
blackcurrants 300g
egg whites 3
cream to serve
You will also need a 25cm tart tin with a removable base
To make the pastry crust, cream the butter and caster sugar together in a food mixer or by hand until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks. Combine the flour and baking powder, then fold into the batter with the water to give a firm, soft dough. Tip the dough on to a lightly floured work surface, knead gently for less than a minute, then roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can leave it in the fridge overnight if that is convenient.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board and use to line the tart tin, pushing it up the sides and into the corners. Trim overhanging pastry. Leave no holes or tears. Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place an empty baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven. When the oven is hot and the tart chilled, bake for 12 minutes till dry to the touch and biscuit coloured. (If you are worried about the sides shrinking, line the tart case with foil and baking beans before baking. But is unusual for chilled pastry to shrink.) Remove the tart case from the oven and lower the temperature to 170C/gas mark 3-4.
To make the filling, mix together the ground almonds, icing sugar and flour. Remove the stalks from the currants. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till almost stiff. Fold the whites into the almond and sugar mixture with a metal spoon. Stir in the blackcurrants without overmixing.
Spoon the filling into the pastry case and smooth flat. Place the tart on a middle shelf and bake for 50 minutes, covering it with foil if it seems to be colouring too quickly. When the filling is pale gold and lightly firm to the touch, remove and set aside to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve not cold or hot, but warm, with cream on the side.
Blackcurrant and poppy seed buns
Makes 9
skimmed milk 220ml
butter 50g
white flour 450g
fast-acting yeast 7g
caster sugar 1 tbsp
salt ½ tsp
poppy seeds 2 tbsp
an egg, lightly beaten
a lemon
for the filling:
blackcurrants, stalked 450g
butter 50g
caster sugar 50g
to finish:
milk 2 tbsp
demerara sugar 1 tbsp
the reserved poppy seeds
You will also need a round 24cm cake tin, lined on the base with baking parchment
Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Put the flour into a large bowl, add the yeast, sugar, salt and half the poppy seeds. Pour in the warm butter and milk (it should be no hotter than your little finger can bear) and add the egg yolk. Combine thoroughly, then knead for a good 8 minutes by hand, or about half that if you are using an electric mixer and dough hook. Put the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and put in a warm place for an hour, till it has doubled in size.
Tip the dough out on to a floured board then roll into a rectangle about 24 x 32 cm, with the longest side towards you. Put the blackcurrants into a bowl, add the butter in small lumps and the sugar, then stir to combine. Scatter the currant mixture over the dough. Roll the dough up towards you, as tight as you can to give a long, fat roll. Cut into nine equal slices and place in the lined tin.
Set the buns in a warm place, for about 30 minutes, covered with clingfilm, until they are risen and touching each other. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Bake the buns for 35-40 minutes till nicely risen and golden, then remove from the oven, brush with milk and scatter with the demerara and the remaining poppy seeds. Best eaten the same day.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk
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