Easy Jam Tart Recipes

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.

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.

EASY TRADITIONAL JAM TARTS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a 12-hole tart mold with a little butter.
• Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter.
• Working as quickly as you can, use a pastry blender or your hands to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the water to the mixture 1 tablespoon at a time and use a cold knife to stir and bind the pastry together. Stop when the pastry comes together.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
• Unwrap the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 1/4-inch thickness.
• Using a tart cutter or cup, cut circles from the pastry just slightly bigger than the holes in the prepared tart mold. Gently press the discs of dough into each mold.
• Place a heaped teaspoon of jam or lemon curd into the pastry-lined tins. Be careful not to overfill as the jam will bubble out when hot and burn.
• Repeat until all the pastry is used up-you can squish the pastry trimmings back together and reroll as needed.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
• Once cooled, serve and enjoy.

BASIC JAM

Steps:

• Stir together fruit, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved and mashing fruit with a potato masher. Add lemon juice; continue to boil, stirring frequently, until bubbles slow, chunks of fruit show at top, and mixture clings to a spoon but falls off in clumps, 10 to 12 minutes. Skim foam from top.
• Ladle jam into clean containers, leaving 3/4 inch of headroom. Let cool completely. Cover, label, and refrigerate up to 1 month, or freeze up to 1 year.

DOUBLE-CRUSTED JAM TART

Steps:

• Pulse flour, granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 3 tablespoons water and pulse. Add 3 tablespoons more and pulse. Next, work in longer pulses, stopping to scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until dough holds together when pinched (if necessary, add remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time). Shape into 2 rectangles.
• Roll out one rectangle between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment to 12 by 10 inches, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. Repeat with second rectangle; stack on top of first. Refrigerate both until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from refrigerator; set aside one sheet. Remove parchment from top of second sheet; spread jam evenly over dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Remove parchment from first piece of dough and place over filling. Fold edges in and press to seal with the tines of a fork. Poke top all over with tines of fork. Brush with beaten egg. Freeze 10 minutes or refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and bubbling in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on sheet on wire rack.
• Gradually whisk lemon juice into confectioners' sugar to create a glaze with the consistency of honey. Add remaining pinch of salt; whisk to combine. Spoon glaze over tart, spreading almost to edges; sprinkle with freeze-dried berries and let stand until set, at least 1 hour. Slice and serve, or store, lightly wrapped with foil, at room temperature up to 1 day.