Valentines Day Jam Tarts recipe

My lovely friends at Duerr's have sent me some of their special edition 'Aphrodisiac Jam' to try this week and asked me if I could come up with something a little loved up to celebrate Valentines Day.




Now I could quite happily eat this jam - packed full of juicy strawberries with a splash of champagne (woohoo!) and a sprinkle of Horny Goats Weed (it's an aphrodisiac herb, don't you know, said to improve libido... ) - with a spoon, straight out of the jar. But that's just me.
It would make a lovely romantic breakfast in bed with some croissants and nice coffee.

But I think the best thing you can do with jam is make tarts!

And as it's Valentines Day these are special.

Tarts With A Heart

Ingredients

makes 6-8 tarts 

4oz plain flour
2oz butter
1oz icing sugar
1 large egg yolk
pinch of salt

6-8 teaspoons of Aphrodisiac Jam (or any good quality strawberry jam)
more icing sugar to dust
cookie cutters - one large round, one slightly smaller round and a small heart shape
cupcake/tart baking tray

make the pastry:

In a small bowl blend the icing sugar with the egg yolk - mixing thoroughly to make a smooth paste.
In a large bowl sift the flour and salt then rub in the butter until your mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg/sugar paste and combine to make a dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth dough ball. Wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for half an hour.

Once rested, remove from the fridge and divide into two pieces - one about two thirds of the ball for your tart bases keeping the other third back for the lids

Roll out the first piece to about 3mm thick and cut out 6-8 circles for the base of your tarts. You may need to combine the trimmings up and re-roll to get 8 bases. Gently place them into your tin, pushing them into the indents. Add a spoonful of jam to each tart.

Roll out the other half of your pastry and cut three or four circles using the slightly smaller circle cutter, then cut out a heart from the centre of each 'lid'. Carefully place the circles with heart shaped hole on top of half of your tarts and the hearts you cut out onto the remaining tarts.

Bake in a hot oven (180c GAS4) for about 15mins - until the jam has melted and filled the tarts and the pastry is golden.

Allow the tarts to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the tin. The pastry will be quite crumbly so be very careful!

Sprinkle the tops with icing sugar then serve to someone special with lots of love!

Happy Valentines Day x