To make a tarte of borage flowers is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for a classic tart made from an apple puree mixed with blanched borage flowers and cream cheese that's made into a custard with eggs before being baked in a rich shortcrust pastry shell. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To make a tarte of borage flowers.
To make a tarte of borage floures.
Take borage floures and perboyle them tender, then ſtrayne them wyth the yolckes of three or foure egges , and ſwete curdes, or els take three or foure apples, and perboyle wythal and ſtrayne them with ſwete butter and a lyttle mace and ſo bake it.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
300ml borage flowers, picked free of their stems
1 cooking apple, peeled and cored
200g ricotta cheese
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground mace
1 batch short paest for tart
Method:
Roll out the pastry and use to line a 22cm diameter deep pie dish. Line with greaseproof (waxed) paper (typically trimmed to a circle known as cartouche), fill with baking beans or beads then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and blind bake for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is just dry to the touch (but not coloured). Remove from the oven, take out the paper and baking beans and set aside as you prepare the filling.
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the borage flowers, blanch for 5 minutes then turn into a colander to drain. In the meantime, combine the apple and 2 tbsp water in a small pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the apple has broken down. Add the borage flowers to the apple along with the butter and mace and beat with a wooden spoon until pureed.
Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until soft. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined. Now work in the apple and borage mix. Turn this mixture into the blind-baked pastry shell then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180�B0;C and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the custard filling has set.
