Tart de ffruyte - A Tart of Fruit (with salmon)

I was looking for interesting recipes that used figs, and this time I found one that wasn't a dessert or other sugary preparation.   It is from the book Take a Thousand Eggs or More, a Collection of 15th Century Recipes by Cindy Renfrow.  In particular, this is Volume Two.

ISBN 0-9628598-2-6

Ms. Renfrow gives us the original recipes from a variety of medieval English manuscripts and also her translations.  Some recipes she adapted for the modern kitchen.  The recipe I chose is on page 58, under the section labeled "FISH -- salmon".  

Tart of fruit

Take figs, and seethe them in wine, and grind them small, And take them up into a vessel; And take powdered pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Maces, powdered ginger, pine nuts, great raisins of Corinth, saffron, and salt, and cast thereto; and then make fair low coffins, and put this stuff therein, And plant pine nuts above; and cut dates and fresh salmon in fair pieces, or else fresh eels, and parboil them in a little wine, and put them thereon; And cover the coffins fair with the same paste, and glaze the coffin without with saffron & almond milk; and set them in the oven and let bake.

My Redaction

1 lb. fresh figs, stems removed, about 20.  (Or less if dried, see notes below.)

1/2 cup red wine

A small handful of almonds, about 1/2 ounce by weight; chopped, ground, or pounded into small pieces

4 or 5 threads of saffron

About 1/2 cup boiling water

enough pie crust dough to make a double crust

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/16 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground mace

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup pine nuts, divided in half

 1/2 cup currants

another 6 or so threads of saffron, crushed between your fingers

1/8 tsp. salt

8 ounces fresh salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces

6 ounces dates, pitted and sliced

Everything except the dough, almond milk, and fig-wine filling.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Chop the figs.  Put them in a small saucepan with the wine.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and then cover and simmer until they are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Allow to cool while you are making the rest of the recipe.

Then make the almond milk by mixing the ground almonds and threads of saffron with boiling water and allowing it to steep until cool.  Strain the resulting almond milk from the mix by pouring it all through several layers of cheesecloth, a fine sieve, or a cloth bag.  Set the almond milk aside for the end of the recipe.

Line a pie pan with the lower crust, leaving some extra dough at the edges to help seal the second crust.

Mix the spices, 1/4 cup pine nuts, currants, broken saffron, and salt in a bowl, then add the cooled figs and wine.  Mix well and put into the pie crust.

Sprinkle the surface with the rest of the pine nuts, add a layer of the chopped dates, and then the salmon pieces.

Cover with the second crust.  Cut some vent holes.  Brush the top of the crust with the almond milk.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake another 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Let cool a little before cutting and serving.

My Notes

I suspect the recipe was designed to use dried figs.  Most recipes seemed to call for them dried, and I can understand why -- the fresh fig season is short and drying figs makes them last through the year.

But I don't care.  I'm using fresh because I have them!  Dried figs simmered in wine will rehydrate and be easier to eat.  I think I would use 15 to 20 dried figs, chopped, and simmer them longer.

Figs and wine.  Could be the whole meal right there!

Before cooking

After cooking

Next, make the almond milk.  You need so little that it is easier to make it than to buy it, and you know you are getting something without additives.  I keep the leftover ground almonds and mix in a little cinnamon and honey for a small snack.

Almonds before pounding.  You just need a few!

Pounded.  Making the pieces smaller is fine.

With boiling water and saffron.  Ready to steep.

Strained milk.  The yellow is from the saffron.

While this is steeping, mix up the spices, pine nuts, and currants.  Add them to the cooling fig and wine mixture.

Spices, pine nuts, currants

The entire bottom layer of filling

The fig, wine, and spices filling needs to be cool enough not to melt the fat in the lower crust.  I put mine in the freezer to chill it faster.

Here is how I sliced the dates and chunked the salmon:

The quantity of the fig and spice filling seemed just right for the cast iron skillet I was using as a pie pan.  The other layers were spread evenly across the top.

Bottom layer

Pine nut layer

Date layer

Salmon layer

Top crust with glaze

After my tart had baked for 20 minutes at the 350 degree F temperature, I thought the edge of the crust was at risk of burning, so I put a foil cover on it.  Then it baked for another 20 minutes.

The Verdict

This is the tart right out of the oven.

The bit of salmon I could see through the vent slits looked cooked.  I wasn't worried that it didn't cook enough, but that it was overcooked and dry.  I let the tart cool until it was still warm but not putting my mouth at risk of being burnt.

My guest taster wanted me to write that the crust was excellent.  I mostly agreed - I thought it was a little too crumbly - but it was flaky and tender and flavorful.

You can see that the layers were distinct enough:  fig layer, then the nut-date-salmon layer above that.  

The salmon was cooked thoroughly but not dry (whew!).  The rest of the filling was moist and cooked.

The flavors were interesting in a very good way.  First, recognize it is a fruit tart with salmon, not a salmon tart with fruit.  My guest taster wished there was much more salmon in it.  I can understand that sentiment.  

What we got was the lovely mixture of fruits that was lightly spiced.  The fig seeds added crunch and the pine nuts added chewy.  Fruit was the dominant flavoring.  The salmon was a fascinating diversion from what could have been a dessert dish -- you would bite into the crust and fruit and suddenly taste the meaty flavor of the salmon.  It reminded you it was a main dish, and that surprise was pleasant.  It also helped that the fruit was not too sweet.  

I declare it a success.  I loved the fruit-and-meat combination, and the subtle spicing.  I loved that it was only lightly sweet and that I got that savory salmon as part of most bites.

If I were to grant my guest taster's wish to make it a salmon tart with fruit, I think I would put half of the fig mixture in the crust, then top it with a layer of salmon, using 12 to 16 ounces to pack the layer densely.  Then I would spread the rest of the fig layer on top and use fewer dates on top of that.  I believe the fig mixture would keep the salmon moist.  Maybe some day!

Ukrainian Salted Herbs for Winter

Ukraine has been on my mind lately, so I could not avoid temptation when this book, Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules, crossed my path in a bookstore recently.

ISBN 978-1-68188-570-4

It had me sold on the "Fermenting, pickling, and preserving" chapter.  But the other chapters that cover breakfasts, broths, breads, vegetables, meats, and desserts also offer intriguing recipes.

They aren't all necessarily historic recipes, meaning very old.  They are cultural, with any history they contain coming from previous generations of Ukrainians making tasty food from what they could grow or otherwise obtain.  (But that is really what historical means!)  

Some are more "modern" recipes invented recently, like the "Tomato and mulberry salad" that looks so tempting:  mulberries, tomatoes, red onions, and fresh basil all brought together with an oil and vinegar dressing. (I have a mulberry tree!)

The pictures are wonderful, and the stories Ms. Hercules tells of her experiences in Ukraine make the entire book a treat to read.

My garden has an abundance of basil and chives right now, so I was drawn to the recipe on page 60, "Salted herbs for winter."  Ms. Hercules says 

[E]very summer, my grandmother would preserve fresh herbs in salt:  although they lost their vibrant color and became mildly fermented in the process, they were delicious.  ... these salted herbs would most often be used as a base for the soup of greens that is normally cooked in spring. ... My grandmother would also add the rinsed herbs to other soups and stews.

Salted herbs for winter

8 ounces herbs and greens, such as dill, parsley, green onions, sorrel, and wild garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

4 oz basil, 4 oz chives, crushed sea salt

Finely chop all the herbs and mix them together.  Put a layer of herbs in the base of a sterilized 12-ounce jar with a lid and sprinkle over some of the salt.  Now add another layer of herbs and more salt, pressing the herbs down with your hand.  Keep alternating these layers until you run out of herbs and salt, packing them in tightly as you go.

Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days (you might want to push the herbs down a little further on the second day).  Once a layer of liquid has formed at the top, move the jar to the cellar or fridge, where the salted herbs will keep for several months.

The herbs will be quite salty, so use them in small amounts as a seasoning or give them a quick rinse first.

My Notes

I mixed my herbs before finely chopping them, as you can see in the picture above.  The quantity you see is in a 14 cup container.  I estimate the unchopped herbs would measure about 9 cups.  They were weighed after rinsing.

Then I took handfuls of herbs and chopped them.  Some were very fine and some were more coarse; this did not bother me.  What I imagined was how I would feel if I were eating food with this - did I want a big piece of basil in my mouth?  Well, probably not, but I wouldn't mind the size pieces I was getting.

As finely chopped as I wanted them, on the left.  I love my ulu knife.

Once the herbs were ready, I started packing the sterilized jar.  The wooden tool (a muddler) you see below worked well for packing the herbs down, since my hand didn't fit in the jar.

The herbs and salt didn't fill the jar.  I put on the lid but I used a fermenting insert just because I had one and wanted to use it.

Assembly completed.

The jar went on the counter, the calendar was marked, and I waited.

On the second day, I pressed the herbs down as suggested.  They compacted down to about half their previous height in the jar.  I noticed they were wetter, although there was not a lot of liquid in the jar.

Day 2

They looked about the same on Day 3.  There wasn't much liquid at all, and a tiny patch of fuzzy mold showed up on the surface, which I removed.  The jar went into the refrigerator then.

The Verdict

This is a mixture of basil and chive leaves, neither of which are very juicy.  I was not surprised that the salt didn't draw out much liquid.  I thought about adding a little boiled and cooled water to the mix, but decided against it for this experiment, although I might do it later just to help preserve them.

I took a small taste.  They were definitely salty, but the basil and chive flavors were still present.  In fact, I got a sensation of mint, too, which I assume is from the basil.  It was a good burst of salty, herbal flavoring.

My first use was to put them in an omelet.  The filling was herbs, black olives, and cheddar cheese.

Close up view of the herbs.

Quantity used for a 6 egg omelet.

Plus some on top.

I cautioned my guest tasters not to put salt or pepper on the omelet before tasting it.  They agreed it did not need any more seasoning than it had.

The proportions of herbs to filling, and filling to egg wrap were right, and the combination of olives, cheese, and herbs was a good one.  The omelet was well-received, and I was happy with it.  I found the herbs to be a convenient way to season the mixture in that it was simple to take the herbs out of the jar and put them into the eggs:  most of the work had already been done.

Success!

I can see these as a condiment -- set out on the table in a small bowl with a spoon.  They could be stirred into a soup or stew as a flavor boost.  Each person could choose an amount that matches their taste preferences.

Or the herbs could be mixed with gravy or mayonnaise to act as a sauce or dressing.  How about mixing them with softened butter and spread on toast or melted over hot vegetables?  

They are much more interesting than using the same herbs but dried.  I want to try different herb blends.