Yorkshire Curd Tart

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
• •Rolling pin
• •Baking beans or dried pulses
• •Fine grater or microplane for the nutmeg and lemon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Tip the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Don't overwork it. You want to see a few flecks of butter still visible. Stir in the egg yolk with a knife, then add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together. Tip it onto the counter, press it into a flat disc, wrap it and rest it in the fridge for at least half an hour.

   Cold hands, cold butter, cold water. Pastry doesn't like to be rushed or warmed. If your kitchen is hot, work near an open window.
2. 2

   Soak the currants

   Put the currants in a small bowl and cover them with just-boiled water. Let them sit for ten minutes while you carry on with the pastry. They'll plump up and turn glossy. Drain them well and pat them dry. This small step is the difference between currants that are sullen little stones and currants that taste of something.

3. 3

   Line the tin

   Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it's the thickness of a pound coin. Lift it carefully into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it gently into the corners. Don't stretch it. Trim the edges, leaving a little overhang for shrinkage. Prick the base lightly with a fork, line with parchment, fill with baking beans, and blind bake for fifteen minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for another five until the base looks dry and the edges are pale gold.

4. 4

   Make the filling

   While the pastry is in the oven, tip the curds into a large bowl and break them up with a fork. They should look soft and slightly granular, like fresh ricotta. Pour in the melted butter and stir it through. Add the sugar, the beaten eggs, the lemon zest, the rose water if you're using it, and a generous grating of nutmeg, six or seven good rasps. A pinch of salt. Mix until just combined. It shouldn't be smooth. Curds should look like curds.

   If you can't find proper curd cheese, you can make a passable version by warming full-fat milk with a little lemon juice until it splits, then draining the curds through muslin. Or use ricotta at a push. Cottage cheese, drained well, works in a pinch.
5. 5

   Fill and bake

   Scatter the soaked currants evenly over the base of the pastry case. Pour the curd filling in over the top. The currants will float a little, which is fine. Grate a little more nutmeg over the surface. Slide the tart into the oven and bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes. You're looking for a filling that has set around the edges but still has a gentle wobble in the middle when you nudge the tin. The top should be pale gold and faintly freckled.

6. 6

   Cool and serve

   Let the tart cool in the tin for at least half an hour. It firms as it cools. Slide it out, slice it generously, and serve it just warm or at room temperature. Cream is welcome but not essential. A cup of strong tea is essential.

   Don't serve it hot from the oven. The filling needs time to settle, and the flavours, lemon, nutmeg, butter, only properly arrive once it has cooled a little.

Chef Tips

• •Find proper curd cheese if you can. A good dairy or a farmers' market is your best bet. It has a softer, fresher tang than cream cheese and the right granular texture. Cream cheese will give you something more like a baked cheesecake, which isn't wrong, but isn't quite this.
• •Don't skip the soaking of the currants. Dry currants stay dry in the oven and turn to little knots of disappointment. Five minutes in just-boiled water and they'll be plump, glossy, and properly part of the tart.
• •Whole nutmeg, grated fresh. Pre-ground nutmeg has none of the warmth or perfume. A whole nutmeg costs almost nothing and lasts years in a jar. It's one of those small kitchen rules that pays back every time you remember it.
• •Rose water is traditional in some old Yorkshire recipes and worth trying once. A teaspoon, no more, gives the filling a faint, ghostly perfume that you can't quite identify. Leave it out if you're unsure. The tart is happy without it.

Advance Preparation

• •The pastry can be made up to two days ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge, or frozen for up to a month. Let it soften slightly before rolling.
• •The tart itself is best on the day it's baked but keeps well in a tin or covered in the fridge for two or three days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)