tiny, tart, tangy treats

Red currants are tiny berries that really pack a sour punch.  I've never really eaten them raw before since they were not commonly sold back home.  The only ones I've tried came from the tops of cakes and tarts from posh bakeries and hotels. 

Tasting some that were given to me by my mother-in-law, I knew it was impossible to finish the entire container by eating them raw.  I do love the acidity of the berries but I can't eat too many at once.  So I decided to look for recipes to use them up.

The recipes I came across were mainly for jams and sauces for ducks and other gamey meats.  But there are some interesting recipes for cakes, muffins and tarts.  In the end, I chose a red currant tart that would use up a lot of the berries and a sauce for frankfurters.  Both recipes began with picking the berries off their stems, which took quite a while since I was using a lot of them.  As I picked the berries, their red juice would flow down my fingers whenever I accidentally squashed them.  That gave me another idea to use them up - pavolva or Eton mess.  Both would use meringue and cream and the sour tang from the berries would perk these desserts up.  But that would be for another day. 

I made the tart yesterday afternoon and baked the frankfurters in the evening, just in time for our iftar, or breaking of the fast.  The dishes were yummy.  The berries made the sauce, which was made with mustard, ketchup, the mashed berries and honey, tangy and worked well with the frankfurters.

The tart was also very good.  The shortcrust pastry was light and buttery and the berries made each spoonful burst with flavour in the mouth.  I served the tart with Chantilly cream, which is just cream whipped with a bit of icing sugar, and the whole combination is so divine.

We still have three quarters of the tart left.  I am going to give some to my mother-in-law and have some later for tonight's iftar.  Once we finish the tart, I will be making meringue for the pavlova or Eton mess, depending on how good the meringue turns out.  Whatever the outcome, I am sure the red currants would make it awesome.

the berries strewn over the baked pastry

they look like tiny jewels, don't they?

all ready to be baked

just out of the oven

a serving of creamy, tangy goodness