Tips How to Making Mini Christmas Cakes Recipes -
The recipe for Ban bury Tarts goes back centuries. Early
recipes contained soaked raisins and sugar. Extra fruit was added to later
recipes. My mother-in-law made
these tarts every Christmas. She got the recipe
from her English grandmother and it has been passed down to succeeding
generations.
Centuries ago these mini pies were served at church
gatherings and afternoon teas. They are also a thoughtful, labor-intensive
gift. When you give these cookies to a family member, friend or neighbor, you
are not only giving them a dessert, you are giving them the gift of time.
Though they look sturdy, the tarts can break, so pack them in a box or tray for
gift giving.
Our family recipe begins with ground fruit that is
refrigerated for a week. An old fashioned metal meat grinder was used to chop
the fruit. Now, thanks to the invention of the food processor, you can make the
filling in minutes. Thanks to crust mixes and refrigerated crusts, you don't
even have to make the pastry. Of course, you always have the option of making
your favorite crust from scratch.
There are many recipes for Ban bury tarts on the Internet.
Some use candied citrus peel, while others call for dried figs. Butter may also
be added to the filling, though this is not an ingredient in our family recipe.
I was surprised to learn that some cooks do not fold the
dough circles in half. Instead, they make one-crust, mini pies. The baking
temperature varies, too, and you can bake the cookies at 375 degrees for less
time.
Remember to wash the grapefruit, orange and lemon before
processing them. According to my mother-in-law's handwritten recipe,
pound cake
crumbs may be substituted for cracker crumbs. The juice in citrus fruit varies
and, if the filling seems dry, add a little ore orange juice. Do not over-fill the
tarts or you will have a big clean-up job on your hands. Ban bury Tarts smell
and taste like the holidays. Here is our historic
family recipe.
Ingredients
1/2 pound currants
1 pound raisins (dark or golden)
1 large orange, juice and rind
1 lemon, juice and rind
3 tablespoons cracker crumbs (My mother-in-law used Ritz.)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 package refrigerated pie crust or frozen puff pastry
Extra sugar (regular or colored holiday sugar)
Method
Cut the fruit into small pieces. Place in food processor.
Add cracker crumbs, sugar, and egg. Pulse until mixture is combined, yet still
has texture. Pour into food container and refrigerate for one week. Cut the pie
crust into 2 1/2-inch or 3-inch circles. Put a rounded tablespoon of filling in
the center of each circle. Fold crust over to make half moons. Crimp the edges
with a fork and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20
minutes, or until the crust is firm and lightly browned. Read also the article about
Tips How to Make Caribbean Christmas Cake
