Traditional English Dessert : Manchester Tart

Cheap and Easy Pastry Dessert Recipe Will Please the Whole Family

Apr 25, 2009 Elaine Walker

Who says desserts are expensive? Here's a delicious traditional dessert recipe updated to make it cheap and easy. Try this Manchester Tart with ready made pastry.

Isabella Beeton was the first author to write traditional English dessert and savoury recipes that could be followed easily by other cooks. The original version of Manchester Tart was in Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management published in 1861. There she wrote :

“In this book I have attempted to give, under the chapters devoted to cookery, an intelligible arrangement to every recipe, a list of the ingredients, a plain statement of the mode of preparing each dish, and a careful estimate of its cost, the number of people for whom it is sufficient, and the time when it is seasonable."

As the eldest girl of 21 children, she quickly learned how to organize and maintain order, including basic book-keeping for household accounts. When she was 19 she married Sam Beeton who was a successful publisher. Among his titles was the Englishwomen’s Domestic Magazine.

Traditional English Dessert Recipes

Mrs Beeton started writing a regular column for the magazine and this eventually evolved into the book. The recipes were collected and tested and Mrs Beeton’s invaluable advice added in order to ensure success. She stated, “Excellence in the art of cookery, as in all other things, is only attainable by practice and experience. In proportion, therefore, to the opportunities which a cook has had of these, so will be his excellence in the art.”

Manchester Tart is one of many recipes for traditional English desserts . This updated recipe is cheap and easy and will be enjoyed by children and adults. A perfect dessert after carrot soup or roasted vegetables.

Manchester Tart Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients :

• 600ml (1 pint) milk
• 110g (4oz) shortcrust pastry, or a ready made sweet pastry case
• flour for dusting
• 3 tbsp strawberry, blackcurrant, apricot or raspberry jam
• 3 tbsp custard powder
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp sugar

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 400°F
2. On a clean dry surface dusted with flour, roll out the pastry to about 1/8th inch / 3mm
3. Grease a round 9 ½ inch / 24 cms baking tin and place pastry into it, gently pressing into edges.
4. Prick base with a fork and put baking parchment or greaseproof paper on top of the pastry and weigh down with dried beans.
5. Bake “blind” or without filling, in this way for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Spread jam over the pastry base.
8. Sprinkle half the coconut over the jam.
9. Boil the milk and pour into a bowl with the sugar and custard powder.
10. Beat well until it has a thick creamy consistency.
11. Pour into the pastry.
12. Sprinkle with coconut and sugar.
13. Allow to cool.

For variation add a layer of thinly sliced banana over the jam.

The copyright of the article Traditional English Dessert : Manchester Tart in Baking & Desserts is owned by Elaine Walker. Permission to republish Traditional English Dessert : Manchester Tart in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cheap and Easy Dessert

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Comments

Apr 25, 2009 1:23 PM

Guest :

Wonderful dessert that is easy to make - delightful!

1 Comment: