DBE in Louisiana
BAKEWELL TARTS
You can either make them as individual tarts, as I did, or make the recipe into one large tart. This recipe makes 12 small tarts.
6 oz shortcrust pastry - could use 1/2 pkg of pastry mix, or a frozen pastry sheet, or make your favorite pastry recipe.
2 TBSP raspberry jam
2 oz butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 TBSP SR flour
1 oz (1/2 cup) ground almonds
1 TBSP milk
few drops of almond essence
OPTIONAL: flaked almonds to decorate
Preheat oven to 375*
Roll out pastry, and cut 12 round bases to go into a tart pan (or line an 8" pie dish.) Do not roll the pastry too thin, or the jam will seep through the bottom. Reserve the pastry trimmings
Put 1/2 tsp (or more) jam into the bottom of each tart (or spread the jam over the pastry base in the pie pan.)
Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in egg, fold in flour, ground almonds, milk and almond essence.
Spread the mixture over the jam. Roll out the pastry trimmings and lay criss-cross across the tart(s) - sealing the edges with water. Optional: decorate between the pastry strips with almond flakes.
Bake until golden brown at 375* for 20 - 30 minutes.
The background to bakewell tarts. The story goes that the first Bakewell Tart was the result of a misunderstanding between Mrs. Greaves, the proprietoress of the Rutford Arms Inn in Bakewell, England and her cook. Mrs. Greaves requested a jam custard tart, however instead of mixing in the jam with the custard, her cook spread the jam on the bottom separately over the pastry. The incorrect tart was a huge success with Mrs. Greaves' guests and has been famous ever since.