Medlar Tart is a modern British recipe for a classic pastry tart with a sweetened medlar, orange, egg, cream and spice filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Medlar Tart.
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The common medlar, Mespilus germanica is the fruit of a large shrub or small tree in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit of this tree, also called medlar, has been cultivated since Roman times, is usually available in winter and eaten when bletted. The unusual thing about the medlar is that it does not and cannot ripen in the UK and should be collected as late in the Autumn as possible. As a result, they need to be removed from the tree, arranged on a large plate or tray, making sure they are not touching. Keep somewhere warm but out of the way (no need to be dark), possibly for a few weeks (typically 5 to 6), until soft and squeezable. This is the process of ‘bletting’. Once bletted, medlars make a fine fruit. Once bletted, medlar fruit can actually be eaten raw with a spoon and are quite delicious and unusual consumed this way.
This year, medlars, as with many other members of the rosaceae seem to have produced a bumper harvest and though I do not have any medlar trees nearby (I used to in the past), I was easily able to source kilos of the fruit on-line. After bletting I ate some fresh, but no collection of medlar recipe would be complete without a medlar tart. This is a classic medieval recipe; where medlar pulp is basically made into a custard with egg, cream and honey. The modern twist here is that a sweet orange pastry is used.
Ingredients:
For the Sweet Orange Pastry:
100g Fine Plain Wholemeal Flour
100g Fine plain (all-purpose) flour
100g butter
50g icing sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp finely-grated orange zest
butter, for greasing
flour, for dusting
For the Medlar Filling:
400g bletted medlars
1 large egg
3 tbsp single (light) cream
75g honey
1 orange, finely-grated zest and juice
½ tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
flaked almonds, to decorate (optional)
Method:
For the Sweet Orange Pastry: Rub some butter around the inside of a 20°Cm/8” diameter tart or flan dish.
Combine the flours into a mixing bowl, chop the butter into small cubes and add these to the bowl. Using two knives, your fingertips or a pastry blender work the flour and butter cubes together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Sift the icing sugar into the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Break the egg into a bowl, add the orange juice and zest and beat together. Pour the egg mixture into the mixing bowl with the flour and work gently with your fingers to bring everything together as a ball of dough. If it remains a little crumbly and does not form a dough easily add a few more drops of orange juice. Cover the dough and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
Dust your work surface with flour, put the dough in the middle, pat to flatten and sprinkle it with flour. Roll out the pastry into a circle 5cm/2” larger than your pie dish then drape over you rolling pin and lift it into the dish then press into the sides of the dish using your fingers. Use a sharp knife to cut away any pastry that hangs over the edge of your dish.
Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork then lay a large piece of parchment paper over the raw pastry, making sure all the edges are covered. Scatter ceramic baking beads (or rice or beans) over the parchment, spreading them all over the surface.
Transfer to your oven pre-heated to 180°C (160°C Fan, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) and bake blind for 10-12 minutes then remove from the oven, carefully lift the parchment paper and contents off the pastry and return it to the oven and cook for a further 4-5 minutes without browning too much.
For the Medlar Filling: Peel the medlars and remove the pips then coarsely chop the medlar pulp into a bowl.
Break the egg into a separate mixing bowl, add the cream and beat well. Now add the honey, grated orange rind and juice and mixed spice and beat to combine.
Turn the medlar mixture into the prepared pastry case then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C (160°C Fan, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) and bake for 30-40 minutes.
If desired, sprinkle with flaked almonds for decoration.
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