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Elizabethan Cheese-curd Tart

Elizabethan Cheese-curd Tart is a traditional English recipe from the late Middle Ages for a flan containing an egg, cottage cheese and egg filling flavoured with saffron milk. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: Elizabethan Cheese-curd Tart.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling)

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish RecipesEnglish Recipes

I'm combining two recipes here, as they are, essentially, the same recipe. The first comes from A Book of Cookrye 1591 and the second from Hannah Wolley's The Cook's Guide 1664. Admittedly the first is Elizabethan and the second is from the Restoration and there's nearly 75 years between them, but just look at how similar the two recipes are:

Original Recipes:

A Book of Cookrye (STC 24897) 1591

To make a Tart of Cream.
Take Creame and Egs and stir them, togither, and put them into a strainer till the whay be come out, then strain it that it may be thick, season it with Ginger, Sugar, and a little Saffron, and then make your paste with flower, and dry your paste in the Oven, and then fill it, and set it into the Oven to dry, and then take it out, and cast Sugar on it, and so serve it forth.

Hannah Wolley, The Cook's Guide 1664

To make a Tart of Cheescurds.

TAke your Curds and strain them with the yolks of Eggs, Rosewater and Sugar and some spice; put to it some sweet butter, and set it over a Chaffing-dish of coals till it be hot, then fill your Tart and bake it.

Modern Redaction:

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
125g (1 cup) flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp water
3 tbsp olive oil

For the Filling:
2 eggs
225g (1/2 lb) curd cheese (or you can make your own curd cheese/fromage frais)
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
1 tbsp rose water
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt and stir in the water and oil. Roll the dough out, fold in 3 parts, business letter style... Roll again, then fold and roll 2 more times. This creates rough-puff like layers.

Use the resultant dough to fit the base and sides of a 20cm (8in) loose bottom cake tin.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs with the cheese, sugar, rose water and cinnamon. Tip the mixture into a saucepan then bring just to a simmer. Take off the heat, allow to cool slightly then pour into your pastry case. Transfer to the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Mix together the honey and rose water. Dribble this mixture over the pie, then dust with cinnamon. Serve warm.