recipe from Forager Sam @foragersam
Hawthorne flowers provide a very surprising and incredible flavour reminiscent of almonds – making them the perfect thing to turn in to a Bakewell tart 🙂 and this is a perfect recipe from Sam – once you’ve made the syrup as well you can store it and use it wherever you’d like a sweet almond hit. forward from James.
Ingredients:
For the Hawthorne syrup
- Hawthorn flowers 2 handfulls of flowers on their stalks
- 2 cups of Sugar
- 2 cups of water
For the pastry
- 200g butter
- 1 cup of flour
- Some hawthorn syrup
For the frangipane
- 120g butter, softened
- 120g hawthorn syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 cup plain flour
- 90g cherry jam
For the icing
- Water
- 200g icing sugar
Method:
To make the Hawthorne syrup, put the sugar and water in a pan and heat until dissolved, allow to cool and then add the flowers, give it a little mix then cover and leave over night. Next day strain the liquid off and discard the flowers. This can be boiled again to sterilise and kept in air right jars for future use.
For the pastry
I don’t do rubbing in, it takes for ever and I’ve usually got dirt from foraging up my nails which I don’t want in my pastry. So in a food processor add butter and flour and wizz until bread crumbs (takes about 30 seconds! Compared to hours rubbing in!) then still in the processor add a little of the syrup until it starts to form a firm pastry, I usually do this a tableSpoon at a time. Leave to chill in the fridge for about 30 mins.
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly butter a 12 hole muffin tin. once the pastry has rested, use a 10cm circular pastry cutter to cut 12 circles out of the pastry sheet. Press the cut circles into the holes of the tin, making sure they come right up and slightly over the top – pushing out any creases. Scrunch up 10cm x 10cm squares of baking paper and then un-scrunch and use to line each of the pastry tarts, then fill with baking beans, rice or dried pulses. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 10 mins longer, until golden brown. Set aside to cool a little.
To make the frangipane
Make the filling by beating together the butter and hawthorne syrup until light and fluffy, then whisk in the egg, followed by the flour (the flour will prevent the mixture from splitting). Spoon a level tsp of cherry jam into each of the pastry shells, followed by a tablespoon of the frangipane mixture. Bake for 20 mins, until the frangipane is golden and springy. Set aside to cool completely. Neaten the edges of the pastry with a small knife or scissors if you like.
Mix the icing sugar with 2 tbsp water. Spread the icing over each of the tarts, top each with a glacé Cherry or some flowers , leave to set for 20 mins, then serve with tea
Tips or extra notes:
If you add too much jam you lose the favour of the Hawthorne.
Pink Hawthorne has a lot less flavour than the white but works really well for a striking and colourful garnish.