Special recipes for every kind of fruit tart are not given, as the same rules apply to all. For the crust either of the recipes given for pie-crusts may be used, and the fruit tarts can be made either open, with a bottom crust only, with top and bottom crust, or with a top crust only. When any dried fruit is used, like prunes, dried apricots, apple-rings, &c., these should first be stewed till tender, and sweetened if necessary, and allowed to cool; then place as much of the fruit as is required into your tart, cover it with a crust, and bake until the crust is done. If an open tart is made, only very little juice should be used, as it would make the crust heavy.
Summer fruit, like strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries, and gooseberries need not be previously cooked. Mix the fruit with the necessary sugar, and it the tart is made with a top crust only, a little water can be added and an egg-cup or a little tea-cup should be placed in the pie-dish upside down to keep up the crust.BLANCMANGE TARTLETS.
1 pint of milk, 3 oz. of ground rice, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, a few drops of almond essence, any kind of jam preferred. Make a blancmange, of the milk, ground rice, and flavouring; grease some patty pans, fill them with the blancmange mixture, place a spoonful of jam on every tartlet, and bake them 10 minutes.
CHEESECAKES (ALMOND).3 oz. of sweet ground almonds, 1/2 oz. bitter ground almonds, 3 oz. castor sugar, 1 egg, 1 dessertspoonful of orange-water. Pound the almonds well together with the orange-water, and the sugar, beat the egg and mix it well with the almonds. Line 8 or 10 little cheesecake tins with a short crust, bake them, fill with the almond mixture, and serve cold.
CHOCOLATE TARTS.6 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 2 oz. of butter, 2 oz. of Allinson chocolate (grated), 1 dessertspoonful of sugar, 1/2 oz. of ground rice, 4 eggs, well beaten, and 1 pint of milk. Mix the milk with the ground rice, add to it the chocolate smoothly and gradually; stir the mixture over the fire until it thickens, let cool a little and stir in the eggs; make the meal and butter into a paste with a little cold water; line a greased plate with it, and pour the cooled custard into it; bake the tart 1/2 hour in a moderate oven.
MARLBOROUGH PIE.6 good-sized apples, 1 oz. of butter, 3 eggs, the juice and rind of 1 lemon, 1 teacupful of milk, sugar to taste, and some paste for crust. Steam or bake the apples till tender and press them through a sieve while hot, add the butter, and let the mixture cool; beat the yolks of the eggs, add to them the milk, sugar, lemon juice and rind, and add all these to the apples and butter; line a dish with paste, fill it with the above mixture, and bake the pie for 1/2 hour in a quick oven; whip the whites of the eggs stiff, adding a little castor sugar, heap the froth over the pie, and let it set in the oven.
LEMON CREAM (for Cheesecakes).1 lb. powdered sugar, 6 yolks of eggs, 4 whites of eggs, juice of 8 lemons, grated rind of 2 lemons, 1/4 lb. fresh butter. Put the ingredients into a double boiler and stir over a slow fire until the cream is the consistency of honey.
LEMON TART.1 lemon, 1 breakfastcupful of water, 1 dessertspoonful of cornflour, 2 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, sugar to taste, some short crust made of 4 oz. of Allinson's fine wheatmeal and 1-1/2 oz. of butter. Moisten the cornflour with a little of the water; bring the rest of the water to the boil with the juice and the grated rind of the lemon and sugar. Thicken the mixture with the cornflour; let it simmer for a few minutes, then set aside to cool; beat up the eggs, mix them well through with the rest of the ingredients, line a flat dish or soup-plate with pastry; pour the mixture into this, cover the tart with thin strips of pastry in diamond shape, and bake the tart 3/4 of an hour.
TREACLE TART.To 1 lb. of golden syrup add 1 breakfastcupful of Allinson breadcrumbs, the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon. Mix well together. Line the tins with short paste. Put about 1 tablespoonful of the mixture in each tin; bake in a quick oven.