Currant Tart

After a busy day at work last week, followed by a quick catchup drink with a friend at a really lovely bar in Northcote that apparently has been open for years and years but I've only just heard of, I raced in the front door through the lounge-room past my flatmate and straight to the kitchen. I think I still had my handbag over my shoulder as I was putting all these ingredients together. Apart from the pastry, which can be done ahead of time if one is being very organised (I am not organised), this is a very quick tart. 

Now, the recipe calls for finely chopped nuts but unfortunately the actual nut required is unspecified. Peanut? Walnut? I didn't have nuts (see above comment re organisation) so had to race out to my local IGA and grab a pack of gourmet mixed nuts...which were salted. They were the only nuts I could find, but once I'd washed the salt off, using mixed nuts was probably the right thing. They added a lovely texture, without being overpowering at all. 

Currant Tart

Tart Filling

4 tbsp. currants
4 tbsp. apricot jam
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. finely chopped nuts
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Mix together all ingredients, place into prepared pastry cases and bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove carefully from tins once cooled, top with cream or custard. 

Shortcrust Pastry

⅔ cup plain flour
pinch salt
120g. butter
cold water to mix (in hot weather, use iced water)

Sieve dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and rub in the butter very lightly using your fingertips. With a knife, mix rubbed in ingredients with just enough cold water to bind the pastry together. Finish mixing with your fingers and press into pastry moulds, then blind bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly cooked and firm. You can also roll the pastry if you're concerned about evenness of the crust. 

Tip: to ensure the pastry doesn't go out of shape, make sure you place baking paper and baking beads in the mould.

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For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.