Queen of Hearts’ Jam Tarts

I have so much home-made jam in my kitchen at the moment. Delicious as it is, I have more than I could ever eat. So, I thought I would start a little jam baking series. What a better way to kick it off than with Jam tarts. The very same that caused all that drama in Alice and Wonderland.

The Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day:
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts,
Call’d for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore:
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vow’d he’d steal no more.

It has taken me three attempts and three different recipes perfect them but I have finally succeeded. Enjoy!

You will need:

150g plain flour
Pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg yolk
Cold water
Jam (strawberry, raspberry or courgette work really well)

Method:

• Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop them in.

• With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour. You will end up with a breadcrumb-like consistency.
• Add the caster sugar and egg yolk and mix to a stiff consistency, using the wooden spoon. You will need to add a little cold water (try a tablespoon at a time) to make it stick together in a lump. Too much water will make it too sticky so add it gradually and work it through, thoroughly. Three tablespoons should be more than enough.
• Knead the pastry gently for a few minutes, wrap in cling film or foil then leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest. Turn on the oven (190C / gas mark 5 / 375F) to pre-heat.
• Sprinkle a little flour onto the pastry board or  work top. Put your lump of dough on it and roll out the dough to about an 5 -10mm thick. Make sure the thickness is even all the way across.
• Cut out rounds of dough with the circular cutter and place them in the tart tin. Prick the dough a few times with a fork on the bottom and sides.
• Put a blob of jam into each. When I made these the first time I put in too much jam and it bubbled everywhere. Half a teaspoon is all you need!
• If you have any dough left over, gather the bits up and roll them out flat again. I chose to make little hearts but you could choose any of the suits, spades, clubs diamonds… or any shape you fancy. Make sure they are small enough to fit on top of the tarts.
• Place the dough shapes on top of the jam and put them in the top half of the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave to cool before eating – the jam gets VERY hot.