A crisp shortcrust case filled with fresh curd cheese, butter, eggs and currants, scented with allspice and lemon. It is closer to a light, crumbly-textured baked cheesecake than a smooth custard tart. Makes 8 servings in about 2 hr 40 min.
Prep30 min
Cook55 min
Cooling1 hr 15 min
Total
2 hr 40 min
Servings
8
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch. Laminated and yeasted doughs are easiest to handle one batch at a time; bake extra pans in rounds.
1 ½ cups (180 g)all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (90 g)unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the pastry
1 tbsp (15 g)granulated sugar, for the pastry
1 pinchsalt, for the pastry
1(18 g)egg yolk
2 tbsp (30 ml)cold water
¼ cup (60 g)unsalted butter, softened, for the filling
⅓ cup (75 g)granulated sugar, for the filling
12 ½ oz (350 g)curd cheese, or farmer cheese, or well-drained cottage cheese pressed through a sieve
3(150 g)eggs, large, beaten
2 ½ oz (75 g)currants
1 ½ tsp (3 g)lemon zest, finely grated, from 1 lemon
Make the pastry: whisk the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt in a bowl, then rub in the cold unsalted butter with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with the cold water, add it, and press together into a smooth dough without kneading. Flatten into a disk, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and line the tart pan, pressing it into the flutes. Trim the edge, prick the base with a fork and chill while the oven heats to 400°F (200°C).
Line the pastry with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights, and bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and pale golden. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the filling: beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the curd cheese until fairly smooth, then gradually beat in the eggs.
Stir in the currants, lemon zest, ground allspice, rosewater (if using) and salt until evenly mixed.
Pour the filling into the warm pastry case, spread level and scatter the freshly grated nutmeg evenly over the top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the filling is just set with a slight wobble in the very center, lightly golden on top and 160°F (71°C) in the middle, 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a rack at least 45 minutes, then remove the ring and serve at room temperature, cut into 8 wedges.
Tips
Curd cheese should be dry and crumbly; if using cottage cheese, drain it in a sieve for an hour and press it through the mesh so the filling is not watery.
Take the tart out while the center still trembles slightly; it firms as it cools and cracks if overbaked.
Allspice is the traditional Yorkshire spice, so measure it carefully: a little gives warmth, too much tastes medicinal.
The egg and cheese filling should reach 160°F (71°C) in the center; refrigerate leftovers.
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How long does it take to make yorkshire curd tart?
Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 55 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 15 minutes to chill and rest. The recipe makes 8 servings.
How should I store yorkshire curd tart?
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days; let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Can I make yorkshire curd tart ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
Yorkshire farmhouse cooks made curd tarts from fresh cheese curds left from cheesemaking, traditionally baked for Whitsuntide feasts and spiced with allspice, once called clove pepper in the county. Serve it with yorkshire tea.
Variations
Individual tartlets: cut 3-inch (7.5 cm) rounds of pastry to line a 12-cup muffin pan, skip the blind bake, fill and bake 18 to 22 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
Orange-zest version: swap the lemon zest for 1 tbsp (5 g) finely grated orange zest and leave out the rosewater; bake time unchanged.
Nutmeg-only tart: leave out the allspice and stir 1/2 tsp (1 g) freshly grated nutmeg into the filling as some Yorkshire families do.
Raisin version: use 75 g (1/2 cup) raisins in place of the currants; bake time unchanged.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
366Calories / serving
19.8gFat
37.6gCarbs
10.3gProtein
18.2gSugar
Whole recipe (8 servings):
~2928 cal ·
158g fat ·
301g carbs ·
82g protein ·
146g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
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