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Jam and Lemon Tarts

An easy jam tart recipe - just a little pasty and jam or, for lemon tarts, use lemon curd.
Makes approx 18 tarts

8 oz/250g all purpose/plain flour
Pinch of salt
4oz/ 100g butter, cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard
2-3 tbsp cold water
Strawberry or any fruit jam or lemon curd.
A little extra butter for greasing

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Lightly grease a 12 hole tart mould with a little butter.

Make the Pastry

Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.

Add the water to the mixture and using a cold knife stir until the dough binds together, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry.

Wrap the dough in Saran wrap/Clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.

The dough can also be made in a food processor by mixing the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of the processor on a pulse setting. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the water, slowly, through the funnel until the dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in Saran wrap/ Clingfilm and chill as above.

Assemble the Pies

Unwrap the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a ¼" /0.5cm thickness. Using a tart cutter or cup, cut circles from the pastry just slightly bigger than the holes in the prepared tart mould. Gently press one disc into each hole.

Place a heaped teaspoon of jam or lemon curd into the pastry lined tins. Be careful not to overfill as the jam will spill out when hot and burn.

Repeat until all the pastry is used up - you can squish the pastry trimmings back together and reroll several times, so don't worry, just make sure you rest the pastry circles before cooking.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely, do not eat while hot or you may burn your your mouth, the jam stays hot for a long time.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Posher pastry for tarts:

230g plain all purpose flour
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
60g caster sugar
1 free range egg
pinch of salt

Weigh the softened butter, salt and sugar into the bowl of a mixer, use the flat paddle attachment and cream the sugar and butter until fluffy and pale in colour.

Crack the egg into a small bowl and lightly whisk. Slowly add the egg a bit at a time to the butter mixture, mix well.

Remove the mixing bowl and sieve the flour over the creamed butter, return to the mixer  use with the paddle, slowly mix the flour into the butter, do not over mix. Once the pastry comes together, stop.

Turn the pastry out on to a lightly floured work surface, do not knead the pastry, just push it together into flat square.

Cover with clingfilm and let the pastry rest for 30 minutes before using.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Cut the pastry in half, place one half in the freezer and roll the second half between two sheets of parchment paper.

Use a 58mm or 1 1/4 inch scalloped edge round cutter to cut 24 rounds. Line a mini tartlet tray with the pastryand blind bake them for 14 minutes. I line the reverse side of the tray and for that reason I do not need to fill each tart with blind baking beans.

Let the golden brown blind baked tartlet cases cool on a cooling rack.

To fill, divide the jam between the tartlets and lightly dust them with the icing sugar.