17^th century

Prune Tart

Prune tarts have always been my favourite. They are traditionally eaten in my hometown of Antwerp on Ash Wednesday, though nobody knows exactly why. I haven’t been able to find out why this is a tradition unique to Antwerp. On Ash Wednesday the shopfronts of the bakeries showcase prune tarts – some open, some with a lattice top. I prefer as little pastry as possible, as the bakeries often use a lot of sugar in their pastry.

This recipe by Gervase Markham instructs the cook to stew the prunes in the oven while they bake bread. I do that too, but rather with a pot of stew bubbling away slowly so that the prunes give off their maximum flavour, and they do have a beautiful flavour; I can only describe it as dark and luxurious. Markham tells us to make templates of all kinds of shapes for the tart pastry. He then instructs us to cut out the shapes in the prepared pastry and pinch the sides up to make a pastry case, which you can bake in advance. After baking you can use the case when you need it and fill them with this thick, rich, gloriously dark prune jam.

Take of the fairest Damask Prunes you can get, and put them in a clean Pipkin, with fair water, Sugar unbruised Cinnamon, and a branch or two of Rosemary, and if you have bread to bake, stew them in the Oven with your bread: if otherwise, stew them on the fire. When they are stewed, then bruise them all to mash in their syrup, and strain them into a clean dish; then boil it over again with Sugar, Cinnamon and Rose-water, till it be as thick as Marmalade: then set it to cool, then make a reasonable tough paste with fine flower, Water, and a little butter, and roll it out very thin: then having patterns of paper cut into divers proportions, as Beasts, Birds, Arms, Knots, Flowers, and such like. Lay the patterns on the paste, and so cut them accordingly: then with your fingers pinch up the edges of the paste, and set the work in good proportion: then prick it well all over for rising, and set it on a clean sheet of large Paper, and so set it into the Oven, and bake it hard: then draw it, and set it by to cool: and thus you may do by a whole Oven full at one time, as your occasion of expense is: then against the time of Service come, take of the Confections of Prunes before rehearsed, and with your Knife or a spoon fill the Coffin according to the thickness of the Verge, then strew it over with Caraway Comfits, and prick long Comfits upright in it, and so taking the Paper from the bottom, serve it on a Plate or in a Dish or Charger according to the bigness of the Tart, and at the second course; and this Tart carrieth the colour black.

Gervase Markham, The English Huswife, 1615