Currant Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl; cut in the shortening with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. When you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray 36 muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Roll pastry out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4-inch rounds; press rounds into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups to make tart shells.
• Beat brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla extract just until combined. Stir raisins and currants into butter mixture; fill tart shells with mixture 2/3-full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes; leaving oven closed, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake until filling is bubbly and pastry is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Double pie crust recipe can be used for tart shells.
• Cut pie crust into circles (use a glass or biscuit cutter). Press into buttered muffin tin.
• Cream butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in currants and egg yolk. Add beaten egg white and mix well.
• Use 1 1/2 scant teaspoons of filling for each tart to avoid overflow. Bake until filling is foamy and crust is brown, aprox. 12-15 minutes.
• Makes 2 dozen.

Steps:

• To Make the Filling:.
• Wash the currants and drain them.
• Stir the sugar and butter together well. Mix in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the currants.
• To Make the Pastry:.
• Mix the flour and salt together.
• Cut the lard into the flour and salt until the consistency is like crumbs. Gradually add enough of the water to make the dough hold together, and form it into a ball.
• Roll out the dough and cut out with a round cookie cutter and fit into muffin tins (regular size, not mini).
• To Assemble & Bake:.
• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
• Put a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the filling into each unbaked tart shell.
• Bake @ 375 for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbly and golden and crust is done. (Don't overbake - the filling should not be too brown or crispy.).

Steps:

• Combine currants and Port in small bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 400°F. Press out crust on lightly floured work surface to remove creases. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with aluminum foil. Fill foil-lined crust with dried beans or pie weights and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans from crusts. Bake crust until pale golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
• Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in medium bowl until combined. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in currant mixture. Spoon filling into crust. Bake until filling is golden brown, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes. Remove tart from pan. Cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pass whipped cream if desired.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 10 rounds with a 4-inch cutter. Fit into 3 1/2-inch round tart pans. Using scissors or a sharp paring knife, trim pastry even with edge of tart pans. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick pastry all over with the tines of a fork. Line pastry with parchment rounds; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until pastry begins to color around the edges 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights, and continue to bake just until the pastry dries out and turns golden, 10 to 20 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
• Fill half of each tart shell with lemon curd, and the other side with currant curd. Smooth the top flush with edge of tart shell.
• Pipe meringue onto tarts using a 3/8-inch star tip to completely cover. Preheat broiler. Place tarts under broiler and broil until golden brown, alternatively, you can use a hand-held propane torch.
• Place each tart on a serving plate. Serve with raspberry sauce, and garnish with a few pomegranate seeds.

Steps:

• To Make Dough: In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Mix in butter, sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest until mixture forms dough. Let rest in cool place for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Roll out dough and put into a springform pan.
• Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until golden yellow.
• To Make Filling: In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually stir in sugar and cornstarch; beat for 5 minutes. Fold currants into mixture and pour into pie crust.
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.