Betty from Allouez, WI (2017 Week 5: Pastries)

Baker

Betty

Location

Allouez, WI

Baking Challenge

Bakewell Tart

Have fun giving your creation a name and please describe your recipe.

Raspberry Jam and Frangipane Tart (My Way). The recipe was a blend of several taken from three pre-1905 historical cookbook sources and then cross referencing a modern one to compare. Because I bake in a 1905 farm kitchen, I had to do a little research. Although I found a Bakewell Pudding in my sources, there was no Bakewell Tart, which is a more modern recipe. The recipes I found had to include a shortcrust pastry, a raspberry jam and a frangipane or almond custard filling. That was my goal.

Tell us about your pastry dough and final texture after baking. Are you happy with it?

The pastry dough I made was called "Queens" and it was one meant for patty pan tart tins. My source for that was "The Complete Confectioner, Pastry-Cook and Baker" published in 1864. It had the same ingredients as Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart but used milk instead of the egg. The amounts of flour and butter were slightly different as well. The final texture? Edible, not soggy, but not crispy either. My raspberry jam recipe came from the "Presidential Cook Book" dated 1896 and 1901. And my Frangipane recipe came from a 1902 cookbook titled "With a Saucepan Over the Sea" (although it wasn’t quite right so I crossed it with a recipe called Almond Cheese out of the first cookbook mentioned).

Detail how you added a Wisconsin twist to your flavors or presentation.

My Wisconsin twist is that am baking in a Wisconsin State Park historic farm kitchen. Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Allouez, Wisconsin has a working 1905 Belgian Farm kitchen where I have to mind that my recipes and procedures to be historically correct. I picked my raspberries (and currants – called for in jam recipe) from Heritage Hill State Historical Park’s Tank Cottage garden the morning I baked. The eggs were gathered from the Belgian Farm’s Golden and Silver Wyandotte chickens. The Golden’s are a Wisconsin developed breed crossing a Silver Wyandotte with an early Winnebago breed.

How did you do?

Pleasantly satisfied.