When I was little, I was mad for jam tarts. So sweet and chewy and the perfect size for little hands to hold. I used to get so excited when opening my packed lunch at school to discover that Mum had included a little, jammy treat!
These little tarts are so delicate and pretty, not to mention delicious! They look absolutely beautiful stacked up, with all their differing colours. They make an absolutely scrumptious afternoon tea.
MAKES ABOUT 32 TARTS
For the pastry:
250g flour (plus extra for dusting)
250g caster sugar
125g softened, unsalted butter
A pinch of salt
1 egg, preferably free range
The zest from 1 lemon
A splash of milk
For the filling:
About 32 teaspoons of your favourite jams and curds. It's good to use a variety so you get differing colours and flavours.
In a food processor, place the flour, sugar, butter and salt and whiz together until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and lemon zest and whiz again until combined. You may need a little splash of milk to bring it all together.
Turn the dough out, wrap in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C fan forced and grease a few 12 hole capacity tart trays (if you only have one tray, you can just cook them in batches)
Roll the dough out on a floured surface until about 0.5cm thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into round disks, slightly bigger than the holes in the tray. Gather the leftover pastry and then roll it out again.
Gently place the pastry disks into each hole and push down slightly so it comes up the sides. Fill each tart with a heaped teaspoon of jam or curd.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pastry is lovely and golden and the filling bubbly and hot.
Let the tarts cool in the tray for 5-10 minutes to firm before transferring to a wire rack to cool.Serve warm, or at room temperature with a sprinkling of icing sugar over the top.
Adapted from a recipe at jamieoliver.com