Berry sticky fingers

Wind rocks the tree tops,
rain falls horizontally -
lovely summer's day.


It's been a week of fickle weather, and none more so than today's. Much like an Irish summer's day, we've had lashing rain, coming in sideways, alternating with brilliant sunshine and mad winds all day. The rain started last night and hadn't cleared this morning, so we knew there was no hope of climbing today. We're in dire need of more books to read, and only one person at a time can use the computer. So, what to do ?

The answer came with Michel-Ange's tap at the door. A bucket of red currants. There are a couple of bushes in the backyard and finally they have ripened. Hmm, methinks a bout of cooking is in order. But what ? Jam, jelly, no, some sort of dessert, yes. I know - a tart.

Lacking a few essential ingredients I decide to risk a run to the shops between showers. Of course, I get soaked. It's a 5km ride and halfway there the heavens open. I stop to put on my rain jacket but by the time I arrive at the shops my pants are drenched and rain has filled my shoes. Gore-tex shoes are great but they can't stop the water coming down through your socks. I squelch around picking up ingredients, only just able to read the shopping list that had been in my pants pocket. Naturally, the sun is shining by the time I'm leaving.

This is about half of what we were given.

Lovely deep red, translucent berries.

First I made the pastry, a sweet shortcrust, and while it was resting in the fridge, cleaned the berries. Unfortunately, some of them accidentally fell into my mouth as I was gently plucking them off their stems. And some of the ever so slightly over-ripe ones had to go too...into my mouth. The problem with really fresh fruit is that they were nearly all perfect. So I had to check some of those as well...

Definitely berry sticky fingers.

From here on in it got a bit ad hoc. Actually, the whole thing was, really. With no scales to measure quantities for the pastry I just guessed. It seemed to work out all right, it rolled out smooth enough. Luckily we had eaten a ready made quiche for lunch, so I used the aluminium tray from that as the mould for the pastry case.

Pastry case cooked, in with the berries, in with the mixed brown sugar, eggs and cream. Maybe some more berries ? Why not ? Oops, looks a bit full. Oh well, they'll sink down a bit when they cook.

Then halfway through the cooking, the power goes off. The ferocious wind must have brought down a tree onto a power line somewhere. After about an hour and a half the power comes back on and I continue cooking the tart. It has gone a little soggy and I did over fill it a little, but it smells good.

Out of the oven, note the recycled quiche tin.

Next question is - will it come out in one piece ? Some of the sides and bottom look a little soggy and the whole thing looks a little fragile - but we managed to ease it out with the help of an egg flip (holiday gites are not particularly well stocked with cake making equipment).

Ta da - it stands on it's own. Mostly.

Chez Neil and Gabby.

Fresh Normandy cream and a sprig of mint.

And the proof of the pudding...

Please sir, can I have some more ?

Yes, that was berry nice. Sorry.

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words by Gabby, pics by Neil and Gabby