JOBS!!

Click on the ads to apply…

FRESH NEW CHEF JOB OVER @ HOME 👀

ANNA’S MEDLAR BAKEWELL TART X

Ingredients

For the Medlar Jelly:

1kg medlars

Sugar (see recipe)

Water (see recipe)

For the Pastry:

175g plain flour

50g icing sugar

Pinch salt

115g cold unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

For the Frangipane:

125g whole, skin on almonds

125g whole, blanched almonds

250g sugar

250g unsalted butter

3 eggs

Method

• Wash your medlars and place them in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the medlars are completely cooked and smushing – I intermittently break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Top up with water as necessary so they always stay submerged.

• Once they are fully cooked, strain them through a muslin. Leave the muslin bag with the medlars to hang for a few hours so you are sure you have every last bit of liquid.

• Discard the medlar pulp. Measure your liquid. For every 600ml liquid, you will need 450g sugar.

• Bring the medlar liquid and sugar to the boil, stirring as you do so. Boil relatively fiercely, skimming off any scum as it forms and stirring every so often.

• Boil until setting point is reached. This is roughly 104.5 C on a probe BUT I would urge you to do the crinkle test as a better way of feeling sure you’ve reached the correct set, as I find it often exceeds this temperature. To do this, have a saucer in the fridge and when you think setting point has been reached, turn off the heat and place a small drizzle of the liquid on the saucer and allow to cool in the fridge for a few minutes. Once cool, run your finger through the drizzle. The liquid wants to really crinkle – think of a Shar Pei’s neck (the dog!). A delicate crinkle is not enough! Keep boiling and retesting until you get to this point.

• Ladle the liquid into sterilised jars and leave to cool completely.

• Now make the pastry by combining the flour, icing sugar, salt and butter in a food processer. Blend until you have the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and blend again until everything is fully combined and starting to come together. This can also be done by hand if preferred. Tip the pastry out and bring together into a log shape. Wrap and chill in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.

• Once the pastry has rested, grate it on the coarse side of a grater into a 25cm tart case and push the pastry into the case so it’s evenly covered. I like to start with the edges and then work from the middle of the case to the edges. Chill your tart case in the freezer for 15 minutes, or if you don’t have space in the freezer, in the fridge for 1 hour.

• Preheat your oven to 160 fan.

• Place your tart case in the oven for 20 minutes or until an even golden brown.

• In this time, make the frangipane. Place the almonds into a food processor and grind until fine – it's fine if some resembles fine gravel or grape nuts, it makes for a nice texture. Remove and keep to one side.

• Next blend the butter and sugar until combined and pale. Add in the eggs one at a time, blending them until fully incorporated before adding the next egg. Then tip the nuts back in and blend til combined.

• Generously spread a layer of jelly onto the bottom of your tart case and then cover with all of the frangipane.

• Place your tart case onto a baking sheet (to catch any overspill) and place back in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 150 C and bake for 50 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 120 C and bake for a further 20 minutes.

• Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. NOTE HOWEVER that if your jelly has seeped up into the edges of the tart ring then you must unmould it while it is still warm as otherwise the jelly acts like a concrete and you’ll have a nightmare trying to get it out!

• Serve with crème fraiche or thick double cream.

Tips

You can use this recipe with other jams, such as raspberry or plum. I would favour a jam with some tartness.

Medlar jelly is also excellent served with ham or any game, or could make an excellent alternative to cranberry jelly at Christmas!

Thanks Anna x

For afters in November, it will be a recipe by MIKE DAVIES making use of COMICE PEAR from SHRUB…

WANT YOUR AG™ CHEF JOB ADVERTISED?