Golden Age apple and raisin tart (Appeltaart)
A deep tart with buttery pastry, filled with tart apples, plumped raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a splash of wine. The domestic luxury of the Golden Age.
A deep tart with buttery pastry, filled with tart apples, plumped raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a splash of wine. The domestic luxury of the Golden Age.
I grant you, I am hardly a glutton, and I distrust pleasures that disturb serenity. But press me on a feast day, and I will not refuse a slice of this tart where orchard apples marry raisins from the South and those spices our ships bring from the Indies. My hosts would pour in a finger of wine and cinnamon; it was eaten warm, and I observed, as a scholar, how heat awakens all its perfume.
- •Tart apples — a full apron (main filling)
- •Raisins (currants) — a handful (sweetness, chew)
- •Butter — freely (rich pastry)
- •Wheat flour — as needed (pastry)
- •Sugar — according to purse (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon and nutmeg — generously (signature spices)
- •Wine — a finger (filling aroma)
Golden Age apple and raisin tart (Appeltaart)
A deep tart with buttery pastry, filled with tart apples, plumped raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg, with a splash of wine. The domestic luxury of the Golden Age.
Why this dish? Spiced tarts filled Dutch tables during feasts and visits, as evidenced by the still-life paintings that Descartes encountered in the Dutch Republic. He, who appreciated moderation, could on days of rejoicing share such a sweet where the spices brought by the VOC mingled.
I grant you, I am hardly a glutton, and I distrust pleasures that disturb serenity. But press me on a feast day, and I will not refuse a slice of this tart where orchard apples marry raisins from the South and those spices our ships bring from the Indies. My hosts would pour in a finger of wine and cinnamon; it was eaten warm, and I observed, as a scholar, how heat awakens all its perfume.
Ingredients (period version)
- Tart apples — a full apron (main filling)
- Raisins (currants) — a handful (sweetness, chew)
- Butter — freely (rich pastry)
- Wheat flour — as needed (pastry)
- Sugar — according to purse (sweetness)
- Cinnamon and nutmeg — generously (signature spices)
- Wine — a finger (filling aroma)
Ingredients
- Apples (e.g. Reine des Reinettes) — 1 kg (main filling)
- Raisins — 80 g (sweetness, chew)
- Butter — 200 g (pastry)
- Flour — 350 g (pastry)
- Sugar — 120 g (50 g pastry + 70 g filling) (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — 1.5 tsp (spice)
- Nutmeg — ¼ tsp grated (signature spice)
- Sweet white wine — 3 tbsp (aroma)
- 1 egg — 1 (egg wash and pastry binder)
Method
- Soak raisins in warm wine. Peel and quarter apples; mix with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and drained raisins.
- Make pastry by rubbing cold butter into flour, add 50 g sugar, the egg and a little water; knead briefly, rest 30 min in the fridge.
- Line a deep buttered tart tin with two-thirds of the pastry. Fill with the apple mixture, pressing firmly.
- Cut remaining pastry into strips, arrange in a lattice on top, brush with beaten egg.
- Bake at 180°C for 50–60 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
How it was made : The Dutch cookbook *De verstandige kock* (1667) gives a very similar recipe for appeltaart, with apples, butter, sugar, cinnamon and currants: the deep lattice-top pie and generous use of colonial spices were already the norm in affluent households.
The contemporary twist : Serve each slice warm with a dusting of fresh nutmeg and a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream—the hot/cold contrast very typical of Dutch 'koffietijd'.
Sources : De verstandige kock (Amsterdam, 1667)
René Descartes · Charactorium