Ecclefechan Tarts

This is about as close to tradition as I am likely to get in my baking. I was treated to a homemade Ecclefechan tart at work this week which was absolutely delicious, and made me want to bake some myself. Mine are a shortcrust pastry case with a butter and light brown sugar filling flavoured with a hint of orange zest and containing a mix of raisins, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. They are sprinkled with flaked almonds.

The pastry baked perfectly, with no soggy bottoms in sight and a lovely crisp short texture. The filling is sweet, although the addition of a dash of cyder vinegar cut through this a little to create the perfect balance. The citrussy orange hint is delicious with the cranberries and walnuts. I think the almonds top them off wonderfully and make them look very appetising. This was a fantastic impromptu bake!

Recipe - Makes 16

For the pastry:

• 200g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 110g butter, diced
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

• 1 egg
• 100g light brown sugar
• 80g butter, melted
• 1/2 tbsp cyder vinegar
• Zest 1 orange
• 120g raisins
• 40g dried cranberries
• 40g walnuts, roughly chopped
• Flaked almonds, to sprinkle

Make the pastry by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Tip in the butter and rub in to form breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar to well dispersed, then add the egg gradually until a soft but not sticky dough is formed. Turn out onto a work surface and knead together for a few seconds to smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick. Use a floured 6cm fluted cutter to cut out rounds of the pastry. Use to line the holes of a deep muffin tin, pressing it up the sides gently to reach halfway. Chill for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C with a baking tray inside. Whisk the sugar and butter together lightly to combined. Add the egg and orange zest and whisk well. Stir through the raisins, cranberries and walnuts. Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and divide the filling between them, filling almost to the top. Sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake on the preheated baking tray for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the tray from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.