Fantasy Veggie Dinner Guest - CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

Christina Rossetti was born in 1830, part of a highly artistic family. 
In fact, Zelda has already cooked a meal for her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. 
He used her as a model in some of his paintings, and she rubbed shoulders with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. 

She wrote many poems, still much loved today, including In the Bleak Midwinter, later set to music and still sung at Christmas. 

Her most enigmatic poem is Goblin Market and, if she came for a meal, Zelda would use this as her inspiration. (But watch out as there may be a high price to pay for accepting fruit from the goblins.)

Morning and evening
Maids heard the goblins cry: 

“Come buy our orchard fruits, 

Come buy, come buy: 

Apples and quinces, 

Lemons and oranges, 

Plump unpeck’d cherries, 

Melons and raspberries, 

Bloom-down-cheek’d peaches, 

Swart-headed mulberries, 

Wild free-born cranberries, 

Crab-apples, dewberries, 

Pine-apples, blackberries, 

Apricots, strawberries;— 

All ripe together 

In summer weather,— 

Morns that pass by, 

Fair eves that fly; 

Come buy, come buy: 

Our grapes fresh from the vine, 

Pomegranates full and fine, 

Dates and sharp bullaces, 

Rare pears and greengages, 

Damsons and bilberries, 

Taste them and try: 

Currants and gooseberries, 

Bright-fire-like barberries, 

Figs to fill your mouth, 

Citrons from the South, 

Sweet to tongue and sound to eye; 

Come buy, come buy.” 

FRUIT TARTS

For the pastry:

250g plain flour

125g butter + a little extra for greasing

125g caster sugar

1 egg
1tbsp milk

For the fillings:

60g blackberries
60g gooseberries
60g redcurrants
60g blueberries (N.B. You can use other fruits - these were from the garden or the lane.)
4tbsp caster sugar

6tbsp seedless raspberry jam

Makes 12 tarts

First, make the pastry
Grease the holes in a muffin tin.
Put flour, sugar and butter together in a mixer and whizz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and mix again with a little cold water to make a dough which comes away from the sides.
Wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Roll out on a floured surface, cut out 12 discs slightly larger than the holes. 

Place them in the muffin tin. 
Prick each case, line with greaseproof paper circles and fill with baking beans.

Cook at 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas 6 for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and paper. Turn the oven off and replace the pastry in it. Leave for about 20 minutes more until the pastry feels dry.

Roll out the scraps and cut 24 leaf shapes. Score them and place on a lined baking tray. Brush with a little milk.

Place in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Then
Wash each set of fruit and place in a pan with 1tbsp caster sugar. Heat gently until soft and sweet. 

Place in separate bowls. Adjust sweetening if needed.

Make a glaze by melting the jam with 1tbsp water over a low heat.

Brush the insides of each case with the glaze.
Then fill with the chosen fruit. 
Pour another spoonful of jam over the top. 

Add the leaves and leave to set and cool.