I went to search the cookbook shelf for dinner inspiration yesterday and ended up doing an organizational overhaul. This lead to reorganizing the shelf, pruning a bunch of books that we don't really use, and rediscovering some others that I probably should be! Among this last category was The Book of Old Tarts. It's a great little book featuring both sweet and savoury tarts/pies from as recently as the 1960s and as far back as Roman times. It is very much up my alley!

I ended up starting with a 20th century recipe because it was one of the few for which I actually had all the ingredients on hand. (And because it sounded tasty!)

TF and I both really enjoyed this pie. The crisp oatmeal and breadcrumb topping reminds me of an apple crumble or a Dutch apple pie which is definitely a favourite with both of us. I found it slightly on the sweet side, but not unbearably so. And the pie was excellent served with a bit of heavy/whipping cream. I think it'd be even better served with some vanilla ice cream or maybe a fool, but the cream was lovely all the same. The only really problem was with structural integrity. Despite pre-baking for 20 minutes and brushing with egg white, it still ended up with a soggy bottom. Next time I think I'd pre-bake it for slightly longer and pour the apple poaching liquid over after all the other ingredients have been added (rather than just after the apples go in). That might not be enough to save it from having a soggy bottom, but hopefully it'll at least help a little.

Oatmeal, Apple, and Syrup Tart

Slightly adapted from the Old Book of Tarts by Elizabeth Hodder

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry
• 55g rolled oats
• 1 egg white
• 450g apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 300mL water
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 25g butter, cut into small pieces
• 50g brown sugar
• 25g fresh breadcrumbs
• 55g sultanas
• 3 Tbsp. golden syrup¹

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface sprinkled with 25g of the rolled oats to a thickness of 3mm and use it to line a 9" deep dish pie plate.
2. Prick all over with a fork.
3. Brush with egg white.
4. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
5. Chill the lined tin for at least 10 minutes.
6. Place the empty pie shell on the preheated baking sheet and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes.
7. Remove baked shell from oven (leaving the baking sheet in).
8. Combine the apples, water, cloves, and cinnamon and bring to a boil over medium heat.
9. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until apples are tender, but not mushy.
10. Remove apples with slotted spoon and set aside.
11. Add sultanas and golden syrup to apple poaching liquid and continue to cook, uncovered for another 10 minutes.
12. Place the apples in the bottom of the baked pie shell.
13. Scatter the pieces of butter on top of the apples.
14. Sprinkle the brown sugar over this in an even layer.
15. Combine the remaining oats with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle these over the sugar.
16. Pour the syrup-sultana mixture over everything.²
17. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes (you may need to cover the exposed crust with foil to stop it from burning).
18. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

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¹ I ended up using corn syrup in place of the golden syrup. Maple syrup or pancake syrup would also make reasonable substitutes. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for mixing the (dry) sultanas with the oats and breadcrumbs and pouring the poaching liquid (without the syrup) over the apples before adding the butter, sugar, or oat mixture. Then the syrup gets drizzled over on its own after everything else has been added. My hope is that by holding all the liquids back 'til just before the pie goes in the oven, it won't develop quite such a soggy bottom. Although this theory remains untested at this point. ^Back