Jam tarts

We made these for your third birthday celebrations. You especially liked rolling out the pastry, cutting out the shapes, and dolloping in the jam.

You'll need

shortcrust pastry
jam (the fewer seeds the better)

To make the shortcrust pastry, use half fat to flour (to make around 24 jam tarts took 8oz flour and 4oz (ish) butter), and mix with some cold water from the fridge. The pastry doesn't need much water - you want a stiffish mix.

Let the pastry rest in the fridge for 15 minutes - it'll roll out better. We ran out of time, and didn't, and they still tasted ok. While you're waiting, stick the oven on to around 180 degrees C.

Roll out the pastry, and use some cutters (or an old jam jar, slightly floured), to cut out rounds big enough to fit in the indentations in your tart tin. Dollop one teaspoon of jam in each - not too much, or else it'll run everywhere, and the tart tin will be an absolute pain to clean.

Stick in the oven for 10-15 minutes - take them out once the pastry is golden/light brown, and the jam is bubbling.

We made some raspberry tarts, some strawberry tarts, and some fig tarts (Grandma gave me some fig jam from her next-door neighbour in France). I liked the fig ones the best, but they're probably an acquired taste.