Recipe Tarte Owt of Lente (an Elizabethan cheese tart)

Elawin

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Tarte Owt Of Lente

The name derives from the fact that it contains all the things you're not allowed to eat during Lent - cheese, cream and eggs, cooked in a light pastry case. If you like a strong cheese taste, then this is the dish for you.

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Original recipe


Gentyllmanly Cokere (MS Pepys 1047, c.1500)

Take neshe chese and pare hit and grynd yn A morter and breke egges and do ther to and then put yn buttur and creme and mell all well to gethur put not to moche butter ther yn if the chese be fatte make A coffyn of dowe and close hit a bove with dowe and collor hit a bove with the yokes of eggs and bake hit well and serue hit furth.

Adapting the recipe for modern use

Ingredients

100 g Cheshire cheese
150 ml cream
1 egg
Seasonings
Shortcrust or other pastry
Egg yolk to glaze

Method

1. Chop and pound cheese in a mortar.
2. Add the other ingredients and make a spreadable paste.
3. Make a pastry tart case. about 25 cm (10 inches) diameter - you can use a tart tin if easier - and thin pastry lid.
4. Fill the case with cheese, cream, egg and butter mixture. then put on the pastry lid - seal and glaze with egg yolks.
5. Bake at 220 C/gas mark 6 for 40 minutes or until golden.

Recipe Notes

You could use any pre-1600 variety of cheese, such as Cheshire, Wensleydale, Roquefort, Gorgonzola. Parmesan. or Cheddar, but the original probably used curd cheese (the recipe specifies it should be neshe - soft), so ricotta or quark would also work well. The egg stops it curdling.

My Notes

I used Wensleydale cheese, which has a gorgeous flavour. The tart freezes very well. I cut mine into individual servings before freezing.

Video

View: https://youtu.be/2KAYlHWqEjk


(Recipe from Historic Royal Palaces, and the University of Reading.
My photo)
 
I love the idea of a Tudor cookalong! Its interesting to compare this recipe to one posted by @Kake Lover: https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/cheese-and-onion-pie.8971/
I've got a few more old recipes floating around somewhere. I like the idea of @Kake Lover's recipe but I don't think you could ever get away with a Wensleydale and onion pie! @Kake Lover's recipe is definitely one for Cheddar cheese - nothing nicer than a slab of Cheddar with fresh bread, onion and pickles for lunch. The flavour of Wensleydale is something else. I've tried the pie with white Cheshire cheese too. Equally delicious.
 
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