Long-lost classic recipes for modern households: hazelnut tart, and eggplant caviar

I love to read cookery memoirs, especially the older ones, where a glimpse into what life was like in bygone days is just as interesting as the recipes. In many of the books, the recipes are too complex or extravagant to be used for everyday fare in modern households. Occasionally, the books yield long-lost treasures that are easy to make and delicious.

Hazelnut tart (pictured)

This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite cooking memoirs, The Alice B Toklas Cookbook. I'm surprised this recipe isn't better known; perhaps it's because more attention is paid to the book's famously mind-altering haschich fudge.

Like many other recipes in the book, the author gives only basic instructions for this tart. She neglects to instruct us to let the dough rest and chill before rolling it out; if you don't, the dough is impossible to roll as thinly as needed. She also doesn't stress the importance of sealing the edges of the top and bottom crusts - if you don't seal it properly, the filling will spill out. Her instruction to mix the filling gently but thoroughly for 20 minutes is essential - if it's not mixed for long enough, the filling will be grainy and, if it's mixed too vigorously, it will aerate and cause the top and bottom crusts to separate. Use a rubber spatula to stir the filling gently - do not use a whisk.

For the dough:

180 grams plain (all-purpose) flour

1/4 tsp fine sea salt