Time for my favorite dessert from TALES OF THE SHIRE: Mrs. Cotton’s Amazing Autumn Tart! It’s one of the first recipes you learn in-game, and it’s a common craving of Farmer Cotton’s. Understandably so!

In the game, you can use any two fruits and a berry to make the tart, along with cream and flour. Since this is an autumn tart, I decided to stick with forgables you can find in autumn in-game: apples, peaches, and blackberries. Plums might work even better than apples, but I recently tested several versions of a plum recipe so I’m kinda over plums for the moment.

For the tart shell, I used the same one as my Raspberry Basil Tart. To incorporate the cream, I made some almond pastry cream and spread it on the bottom of the tart. I made the blackberries into a seedless blackberry jam, which I spread on top of the pastry cream. Then I studded the top with fresh apple and peach slices.

I love this tart’s interplay of flavors: sweet apples and peaches, tart blackberries, rich pastry cream, and buttery crust. If you close your eyes, you can picture yourself enjoying it while sitting on a blanket in an orchard, the autumn sun on your face while a light breeze stirs the crunchy leaves around you. A truly hobbity dessert if there ever was one!

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Mrs. Cotton’s Amazing Autumn Tart

“Served with a dollop of cream, this tart echoes the sweet fragrances of a stroll in an Autumn orchard. “

— Tales of the Shire

 

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 9-inch autumn tart

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE CRUST. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mix has a texture like breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces scattered throughout. Work in 1/4 cup ice water. Continue to work in the remainder of the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mix comes together and is damp but not wet (you might not use all the water).
2. Shape the dough into a 5-inch disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour until firm but not hard.
3. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole egg, yolk, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and almond extract to a boil over medium heat, whisking regularly (this will prevent a skin and an overcooked bottom from forming). Remove from heat.
5. Very gradually whisk 1/4 cup heated of the milk mix into the egg mix until fully combined. Whisk in another 1/4 cup in a similar manner. Gradually whisk the tempered egg mix into the rest of the milk mix.
6. Return to medium heat. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble. Whisk for 1 more minute.
7. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat safe sealable container. Whisk while inside the container for 1 minute. Secure lid and chill for 90 minutes, placing a layer of plastic wrap over the cream after 20 minutes, making sure the plastic is in direct contact with the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming.
8. FOR THE JAM. Combine all jam ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Thoroughly mash the blackberries with a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly with a spatula and taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan.
9. Remove from heat. Thoroughly press fruit mix through a wire strainer over a medium bowl, making sure to scrape the fruit pulp from the bottom of the strainer. Transfer back to the pan and return to medium heat. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan regularly, until mixture has significantly thickened (I simmered mine for about 18 minutes). Transfer back to the bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
10. Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.
11. TO PREPARE. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. Use dough to line a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges to fit. If desired, scallop the edges by splaying 2 fingers along a 2-inch portion of the edge and pushing the dough inward with one finger of the opposite hand, moving around the edge 2 inches at a time until the whole edge is scalloped.
12. Prick the bottom of the dough several times with a fork. Line the inside of the tart shell with parchment paper and weigh it down with pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice (the beans and rice will still be perfectly good to use afterward in other recipes). Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Return tart shell to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely.
13. Spread the cooled pastry cream in an even layer on the bottom of the tart shell. Spread the cooled blackberry jam over the pastry cream. Cut your apples and peaches into 8-10 slices each and arrange them in an alternating circle around the edge of the tart. Place 3 slices in the center.
14. Microwave the honey in a small, heat safe bowl for 15 seconds or until hot. Brush a thin layer of honey over the fruit slices to keep the apples from browning and the peaches from wilting.
15. NOTE: If refrigerating after assembly, do not cover with plastic wrap. This can cause the honey glaze to weep and liquefy the jam. If you plan on serving the next day and don’t want the jam to discolor the apple slices, you can prepare everything except the fruit slices the night before and add them before serving.
16. Serve during supper in your hobbit hole!

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If you like Mrs. Cotton’s Amazing Autumn Tart,
you can check out my other TALES OF THE SHIRE recipe,
Gaffer Gamgee’s Root Soup!