English Jam Tarts Food

EASY JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips (or you can pulse these ingredients together in a food processor if you have one). When the mixture looks and feels like fresh breadcrumbs, stir in the egg and vanilla seeds, if using, with a cutlery knife. Add 1 tbsp cold water, then start to bring the dough together in one lump with your hands - try not to knead it too much. Add 1 more tbsp of water if it's not coming together, but try not to add more than that. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter a 12-hole tart tin, then dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap and roll out the chilled pastry so it's about the thickness of a £1 coin, then use a straight or fluted round cutter to cut out 12 circles, big enough to line the holes in the tin. Dollop 1-2 tsp of your chosen filling into each one and, if you like, cut out little pastry hearts (perfect for Valentine's Day) and pop them on top.
• Bake for 15-18 mins or until golden and the filling is starting to bubble a little. Leave to cool in the tin for a few mins then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

PAUL'S MUM'S JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Rub together the butter or margarine with the flour in a bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in a few tablespoons of water to form a dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Use a pastry cutter to cut out about 20 circular shapes.
• Put each pastry case into an individual cupcake tin. Add a teaspoon of jam to each case - not too much or it will ooze everywhere. If there is any leftover pastry, re-roll it and cut smaller shapes, either circles or stars, and put over the jam to act as the lids.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry has gone pale brown (check the tarts after 20 minutes).

JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Mix flour, shortening, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water and mix until a ball is formed. Refrigerate pastry until well chilled, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 shallow muffin cups.
• Roll pastry out thin; cut into rounds with a cookie cutter. Place each round in a muffin cup. Add 2 teaspoons of jam to each cup.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool tarts on a wire rack.

ENGLISH JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C. Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and cut in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and combine until it forms a dough. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface quite thinly and cut into rounds. Place the rounds in a tartlet tray (bun tray).
• Put a maximum of 1 1/2 tsp of jam of your choice into the tart cases. This pastry shrinks so do not fill to the brim. And put in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.
• Remove form the oven and remove from the tartlet tray immediately and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool before eating as the jam will be exceedingly hot.

LITTLE JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to just under the thickness of £1 coin. Stamp out 20 x 5cm circles using a pastry cutter and line 2 mini muffin tins (or make in 2 batches).
• Prick with a fork and spoon 1 tsp jam into each (we used apricot, blackcurrant and strawberry). Stamp out shapes from the leftover pastry to decorate the tarts, if you like.
• Bake at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 12-15 mins, until the pastry is golden.

ENGLISH JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Prepare and roll-out 1 Basic Pie Crust recipe.
• Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out 24 shapes.
• Place one circle of pastry in each cup of the tart tin and press lightly into shape.
• Spoon a scant 1 teaspoon of jam into each tart. Do not overfill, or the jam will bubble up and burn.
• Cover the tins with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
• Remove from the freezer and immediately place them in the preheated 400°F oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until the crusts are set and pale golden.
• Remove the jam tarts from the oven and leave them in the tins for 10 minutes. (The temptation to test one at this point is great. Remember that the hot, boiling jam will burn your mouth).
• Take a knife and gently separate the jam tarts from the tin. Place on a plate and cool to room temperature. Tarts that bubble over tend to stick to the pan once cooled. If this occurs, place the tin with the stuck tarts back in the oven for a few minutes-Its remaining heat will warm the jam and make removing the tarts easier.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS - VALENTINE'S JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the butter and rub it in using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Use a knife to mix in the water, a little at a time stirring with the knife until the mixture comes together and you can form a ball with your hands.
• Wrap the pastry in a piece of clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes - this will make it easier to roll out.
• Turn the oven on to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
• Sprinkle the work surface and your rolling pin with a little flour and roll the pastry out to about ¼ cm thick.
• Dip the cutter in flour then cut out as many circles as you can - you may need to gather the bits of pastry up and roll them out again to make 12 to 18 circles.(Make sure you leave a little of the pastry scraps for the heart shaped pastry lids!) Once you have the desired amount of pastry cases, roll out the pastry scraps and cut out the required amount of hearts, using a mini heart shaped biscuit/cookie cutter.
• Lay the rounds of pastry in the tart tin, which has been buttered or greased and press them gently into place. Prick the base of each tart once with a fork.
• Put the tart tray into the oven and bake for 6 minutes until the pastry is very pale golden. Using oven gloves take the tray out of the oven.
• Carefully put 1 heaped teaspoon of jam into each tart, and then top them off with a pastry heart. Using oven gloves put the tray back into the oven for 6 minutes.
• Using your oven gloves take the tray out of the oven.
• Leave them to cool for a few minutes then use a palette knife to gently lift the tarts out of the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Arrange them on an attractive serving plate and sprinkle with caster sugar.

GIANT JAM TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and put a baking tray in the oven to heat up. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry to a circle about 0.5cm thick. If you're adding a spiced flavour to your pastry, sprinkle with the cinnamon or nutmeg, fold in half and repeat, then roll it out again to a circle about 0.5cm thick.
• Press the pastry into a 23cm metal pie tin or tart tin and trim off any excess pastry hanging over the edge. If you're using a deep tin, roll the edges down a little to make a lip (you only want to make a shallow tart). Spread the jam over the pastry base.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining pastry to a thickness of 0.5cm and use small cookie cutters to stamp out shapes. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more shapes if needed. Arrange the pastry decorations over the jam layer.
• Put the tin on the hot baking tray and cook for 40 mins, then leave to cool for 15 mins. Dust the pastry toppings with icing sugar. Serve warm or cold with custard, cream or ice cream.