Ember Day Tart – Tart in Ymbre Day

Ingredients:
1 Pâte Brisée, rolled for 9″ pie
2 medium White Onions, whole and skinned
6 Eggs
3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 lb Farmer Cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup Currants (or Raisins)
1/4 tsp Saffron
2 tsp fresh Sage, whole
1/3 cup fresh Parsley, whole
1/2 tsp fresh Tarragon, whole
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cloves, ground
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp GingerDirections:

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large Pot, Parboil the Onions, Sage, Parsley, and Tarragon, and strain.
• Dice the Onions and chop the Herbs.
• Take the Butter and incorporate the Spices. This will help spread and activate the spices.
• Mix all the ingredients together and pour into the pie crust.
• Bake for about an hour.
• Serve warm.

NOTES: Ok, so I am going to be a nerd here. I’ve been studying Old English for fun, and was looking for an Old English recipe. I found a Middle English recipe for a “Tart in Ymbre Day” in Curye on Inglysch:

Tart in ymbre day. Take and perboile oynouns & erbis & presse out þe water & hewe hem smale. Take grene chese & bray it in a morter, and temper it vp with ayren. Do þerto butter, safroun & salt, & raisouns corauns, & a litel sugar with powdour douce, & bake it in a trap, & serue it forth.

You will notice, no amounts given, no temperature given, and the use of “powdour douce”. Well, this caused me to do some research on quiches, tarts, and what others interpreted. I came up with this recipe as a result.

Oh, and about the name “Ember Day Tart”. Ember Days are three days of fasting that are observed quarterly by liturgical Christians (Catholics Anglicans, etc.). Most clergy and seminarians follow the custom of writing their bishop on these days. Traditional observance of the fast meant no meat, thus we have a quiche.