In the Kitchen: Jam Tarts (HP recipe)

Here is yet another Harry Potter recipe for Harry Potter Month. Jam tarts are very easy and delicious treats. They are basically like little pies with jam for the filling. Jam tarts are mentioned in the fourth Harry Potter book (The Goblet of Fire) when Fred and George are testing out all of their joke shop experiments during the Gryffindor victory party following the first task. Hermione passes on the Weasley twins' jam tarts, thus they are mentioned (ch. 21).

Tart Crust

2 cups flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, chilled and cut into chunks

1 cold large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. ice water (and more as needed)

Crust: 

You can make this is a food processor, as the book suggests, but I don't have one. If you do have one, put your flour, sugar and salt in there and pulse to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal and then transfer to a large bowl. If you do not have one, put the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix together with a whisk. Add the butter pieces and using your hands mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal (butter and flour mixture incorporated). Beat the egg yolk, vanilla and water in a separate bowl. Pour into the butter-flour mixture and using a rubber spatula or your hands mix until dough clumps together (you might need another tablespoon of water or so--I did). Form into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Filling

1/2 cup any flavor jam (I used raspberry freezer jam)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and stamp out circles with a cookie cutter or large glass. Fit into tartlet pans or into a muffin pan (I used a muffin pan, since I don't have tartlet pans). Place a tablespoon of jam in each tart (not more since it will boil over). Decorate the tarts with the left over dough using cut-outs or simply make dough crosses. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Cool before removing from the pans.

Makes 8 pies (the amount of jam for 8 pies, though there is leftover crust, so you could make more)

*If you use a muffin pan and do not use all of the muffin slots, make sure to fill the empty ones with water before you put the tarts in the oven. This makes for even baking.

 We all loved this yummy dessert! Simple, yet delicious. Elanor especially loved these tarts and she loved helping me make them as well!