From: Miss Drake’s Home Cookery
Contributor: Anne Holloway
Recipe
8 ozs almond meal
6 ozs icing sugar
1 large tablespoon flour
Essence of almonds
2 whites of eggs
Method
Beat whites to a stiff froth
Fold in all other ingredients, and make a stiff dough
Roll out thin and cut into rounds with a fancy cutter
Line greased patty tins with the paste, and bake in a moderate oven till a dark brown
These cases make be stored in airtight containers until required
Filling for Neenish Cakes
1 gill cream
1 gill milk
1 oz gelatine
1 tablespoon sugar
Essence vanilla
Method
Dissolve gelatine in milk
Beat the cream with the sugar till stiff. Pour the gelatine into it and stir occasionally while setting
When they are almost set pat the mixture into a bag with plain pipe, and a pipe a small quantity into each almond case.
Decorate with the following icing
½ teaspoon gelatine
2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons icing sugar
Method
Dissolve gelatine in water, add icing sugar and allow to cool. Colour half of it pink.
Cover one half of the cake with the pink and the other half with the white icing.
Note, these cakes must be used soon after they are filled, as the cases soften.
For the Modern Kitchen
Pastry base
226g/8 ozs almond meal
170g/6 ozs icing sugar
1 large tablespoon flour
Almond extract
2 egg whites
Method
Beat whites to a stiff froth
Fold in all other ingredients, and make a stiff dough
Roll out thin and cut into rounds with a fancy cutter
Line greased patty tins with the paste, and bake in a moderate oven till a dark brown
These cases make be stored in airtight containers until required
Mock Cream Filling
118 ml/4 fluid ounces cream
118ml/4 fluid ounces milk
28g/1 oz gelatine
1 tablespoon sugar
Essence vanilla
Method
Dissolve gelatine in milk
Beat the cream with the sugar till stiff. Pour the gelatine into it and stir occasionally while setting
When they are almost set, pat the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe a small quantity into each almond case.
Decorate with the following icing
½ teaspoon gelatine (optional)
2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons icing sugar (if you are not using the gelatine, increase amount of icing sugar to 1.5 cups)
Pink food colouring.
Method
Dissolve gelatine in water, add icing sugar and allow to cool. Colour half of it pink.
Cover one half of the cake with the pink and the other half with the white icing.
Note, these cakes must be used soon after they are filled, as the cases soften.
Tips and Tricks
If you are having trouble getting the base to not dissolve (it is very delicate), I would recommend making a quick short crust pastry instead. That is more sturdy and the more modern approach to the Neenish tart.
Butter can be added to the mock cream instead of, well, the cream. If you are going to do that, reverse the order! Put in 1-2 tablespoons of milk, 150 grams of butter and a quarter of a cup of sugar. It will be VERY sweet though.
You can also use chocolate to flavour one half of the neenish tart, and strawberry for the second half (as well as the pink!). Add in a couple of teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. The more vivid the colour the better.
I highly recommend putting a small dab of strawberry/raspberry jam on the bottom of the casing before filling with the mock cream.
You can also use chocolate to flavour one half of the neenish tart, and strawberry for the second half (as well as the pink!). The more vivid the colour the better.
Background
The story of the Neenish Tart (an especially Australian dessert) once circulated as being named after one Ruby Neenish from Grong Grong. However, the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) got on the road and did a lot of reporting to find out that no, alas. This was not true, but rather something made up by her son as a joke.
You can read about it – and the probable origins – here in the original article.