Best Currant Tart Recipes

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
• If making your own pastry, roll and cut your pastry into rounds with a 3.5 inch cutter, or the lid of a wide mouth mason jar. Lightly spray 2 12-cup muffin tins with non-stick spray and gently press the shells into the muffin tins
• In a medium size bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla until smooth.
• Stir in the raisins
• Spoon filling into each of the shells, filling to 2/3 full
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Allow to cool in the muffin tin, then remove and store in an airtight container.

BUTTER TARTS (WITH CURRANTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Double pie crust recipe can be used for tart shells.
• Cut pie crust into circles (use a glass or biscuit cutter). Press into buttered muffin tin.
• Cream butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in currants and egg yolk. Add beaten egg white and mix well.
• Use 1 1/2 scant teaspoons of filling for each tart to avoid overflow. Bake until filling is foamy and crust is brown, aprox. 12-15 minutes.
• Makes 2 dozen.

BEST RAISIN CURRANT BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl; cut in the shortening with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. When you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray 36 muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Roll pastry out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4-inch rounds; press rounds into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups to make tart shells.
• Beat brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla extract just until combined. Stir raisins and currants into butter mixture; fill tart shells with mixture 2/3-full.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes; leaving oven closed, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake until filling is bubbly and pastry is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

TO-DIE-FOR BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Heat currants, maple extract, and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan over low heat until currants are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray 24 muffin cups or individual tart pans with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening and cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until flour mixture is moistened. Do not add more water than you need: when you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls.
• Roll out one half of dough on a lightly-floured surface. Cut tart shells out of dough with a 3 1/2-inch circular cutter, and press into prepared tins. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover tins; set aside.
• Heat brown sugar, 2/3 cup butter, cream, and vanilla over low heat until smooth, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Whisk a few spoonfuls of the warm butter mixture into beaten eggs, then whisk egg mixture into the butter mixture.
• Divide the currants, along with their liquid, into the bottom of the prepared tart shells. Fill each shell about 3/4-full with butter mixture. Place a pecan half on top of each tart.
• Bake tarts in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. With oven door closed, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C); continue baking until filling is bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; allow to cool for a few minutes before loosening tarts from pan with a knife. Remove tarts to cool completely on a wire rack.

CURRANT TART

Steps:

• Combine currants and Port in small bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 400°F. Press out crust on lightly floured work surface to remove creases. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with aluminum foil. Fill foil-lined crust with dried beans or pie weights and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans from crusts. Bake crust until pale golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
• Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in medium bowl until combined. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir in currant mixture. Spoon filling into crust. Bake until filling is golden brown, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes. Remove tart from pan. Cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pass whipped cream if desired.