Barberry Tart is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic tart of ripe barberries layered with sugar and cooked in a rich shortcrust pastry shell. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Barberry Tart.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
BARBERRY TART.
Barberries, with half their weight of fine brown sugar, when they are thoroughly ripe, and with two ounces more when they are not quite so, make an admirable tart. For one of moderate size, put into a dish bordered with paste three quarters of a pound of barberries stripped from their stalks, and six ounces of sugar in alternate layers ; pour over them three tablespoonsful of water, put on the cover, and bake the tart for half an hour. Another way of making it is to line a shallow tin pan with very thin crust, to mix the fruit and sugar well together with a spoon before they are laid in, and to put bars of paste across instead of a cover; or it may be baked without either.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
enough rich shortcrust pastry for a 22cm diameter tart tin
300g barberries, stalks removed
150g caster sugar
3 tbsp water
Method:
Take just over half the pastry and roll out until large enough to cover the base and sides of your tart tin. Layer in the sugar and barberries (add a layer of barberries, then a layer of sugar, etc).
Drizzle over the water then roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid. Crimp the edges to seal and trim off any excess. Make two steam holes in the centre and dust the top with sugar.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for 35 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and the pastry is a light golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
