Because I am allergic to egg white, I used an egg substitute.
- 1 egg
- -- filling --
- strawberry jam
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- -- pastry --
- 4 ounces plain flour
- 3 ounces butter soft
- 1/2 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoons caster sugar
- water as required
- 2 ounces caster sugar
- 7/8 ounce ground almonds
- 7/8 ounce self raising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon almond essence
- -- lemon icing --
- 3 ounces icing sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice mixed with the water
- Carbohydrate 17.5486347429611 g
- Cholesterol 49.6472811104167 mg
- Fat 11.2944194692975 g
- Fiber 0.649344590844522 g
- Protein 2.51082509073292 g
- Saturated Fat 6.34841315825749 g
- Serving Size 1 1 tart (45g)
- Sodium 100.361922495973 mg
- Sugar 16.8992901521166 g
- Trans Fat 0.840028971378671 g
- Calories 180 calories
Step-by-step
- Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and sugar and mix with a knife (it's more effective than a spoon).
- Add enough water to bring the dough together; you're aiming for firm but not hard.
- If you've added too much water and the dough is sticky, don't panic; just add a little more flour.
- Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat fan oven to 180°C and grease 12 patty tins (i.e., the individual little patty indents).
- Roll out the pastry between two sheets of greaseproof paper; this saves you having to use any extra flour. However, if you prefer, roll out on a floured board.
- Using a 3 1/16in cutter slightly bigger than the diameter of your patty tin indents, cut out 12 circles. You will have to re-roll the pastry to get this many, but it's very good-natured and will re-roll several times.
- Line the greased tins with the pastry disks and spoon some jam onto each one. I used about half a heaped teaspoon for each tart.
- Now make the almond filling. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, and after each egg, add half of the ground almonds. The mix will curdle, but don't panic; as soon as you add the flour, it will correct itself.
- Add the flour and almond essence and stir well. You can just mix it; there's no need to fold or be careful.
- Spoon the mix into each pastry case and bake for 20 minutes. Mine took exactly this time.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. This is because the pastry is fragile when fresh from the oven and firms as it cools.
- Mix together the icing sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth and glossy; adjust the measurements as required to get the right thickness. You're aiming for thick but still runny, opaque, and glossy.
- Spoon onto the top of each tart. Before fully set, add half a glacé cherry on top.
Limited counter space requires smart equipment management, which is why rolling pastry between two sheets of greaseproof paper prevents flour buildup and eliminates the risk of a tough dough. Working with chilled butter keeps the fat solid until it hits the hot oven, creating steam pockets that yield a flaky crust rather than a dense, greasy barrier. Mixing pastry with a knife instead of warm hands prevents the butter from melting prematurely during incorporation. Chilling the formed dough for a minimum of 15 minutes relaxes the gluten network, stopping the pastry from shrinking violently up the sides of the tins during baking. Curdling often startles home cooks when the ground almonds and eggs are beaten together into the creamed butter and sugar; introducing the flour stabilizes the emulsion immediately. Visual cues dictate doneness here because thermometers are useless for pastries of this size. Watch for the frangipane to puff slightly and turn golden brown around the edges while springing back when pressed lightly at 180°C. Leaving the tarts inside the metal tins until they are completely cool prevents the fragile, warm butter pastry from cracking or crumbling upon removal. Icing thickness requires careful water regulation; the final glaze must be opaque and glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon without running over the pastry rim. Placing half a glacé cherry onto the wet lemon icing before it hardens anchors the fruit firmly as the sugar sets.
