SURPRISE TART from Perranarworthal

This recipe was given to me by Margaret, a lovely lady from Perranwell whose mother Ada, known as Clarrie, came from Perranarworthal and the Surprise Tart is her mother’s recipe.  So it is way over a hundred years old.  Margaret has no idea why it has the surprising name!

The recipe told me to line a pie dish with the crust. I think Margaret’s grandmother must have originally used an old fashioned enamel pie plate. I do not have one, unfortunately, so I scrabbled about amongst my flan dishes to find the closest! Finally choosing a small 7” with a lip.

Pastry:- 4oz flour, ¼  teaspoon salt, 1½ oz butter, cold water. Rub the fat into the flour and add very little cold water.    [me now - just enough to bind. Wrap in cling film and chill.

I never use pastry unless it is chilled. But Farmer’s wives of +100 years ago would not have done that!] Now see note as the bottom:

Filling:- ½  teacup sugar, 1 breakfast cup of peeled apples, 1 egg, lemon juice

Method:- Make pastry, roll out & line a pie dish. Mix apples with egg, lemon & sugar together, and put in the pie dish, cook for ½ hour.

I intend to blind bake the pastry for 10 mins. It has been bred into me to do that! Then add the apple mix.

I asked Margaret what type of apples to use. The answer was, whatever you have. Eaters, rather than cookers are a little sweeter and crunchier. The topping is supposed to turn “a bit brown and crunchy”.

Rest the pastry once more after rolling and lining the tin, plus pricking the base with a fork [see photo on my Blog],  I put some parchment in the bottom then filled it with baking beans then popped it in a hot oven 220C for ten mins.

While that was cooking I squeezed 1 small lemon and peeled and sliced 2 large dessert apples into the juice. Then coated it all with sugar. What sugar to use??? I went for half granulated and half demerera. 

After taking the dish out of the oven and removing the ceramic beans I tossed the apple, sugar and lemon mix into the pastry case then poured over 1 large beaten egg and placed it back into the oven, now at 200C, for 30 mins.

It looked lovely as it came out of the oven! It was delicious too, but the pastry was a little bland and needed some sweetness. The next time I will make it with a richer pastry, maybe with an egg and a little added sugar.