Traffic light jam tarts

By: Richard Burr
From: B.I.Y. Bake It Yourself
Makes: 12

These are so easy, always look bright and colourful, and taste delicious. This foolproof recipe will get the kids away from the TV for a bit on a Saturday, occupy them in the kitchen and not make too much mess. They are a good way to encourage beginners who are a bit nervy about this baking lark, without having to resort to cupcakes for the thousandth time. I’ve given three good, straightforward jam or curd recipes here, too, which are delicious and well worth making.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

For the strawberry jam

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	strawberries, hulled
200g	jam sugar
2 tablespoons	lemon juice

For the lemon curd

Quantity	Ingredient
60g	unsalted butter
120g	caster sugar
2	unwaxed lemons, zest finely grated, juiced
1 teaspoon	cornflour
2	large eggs, lightly beaten

For the lime curd

Quantity	Ingredient
60g	unsalted butter
120g	caster sugar
5	limes, zest finely grated, juiced
1 teaspoon	cornflour
2	large eggs, lightly beaten
	green food colour, (optional)

For the tarts

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	plain flour, plus more to dust
85g	unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
12 heaped teaspoons	jam, curd or other sweet preserve

Tool kit

Quantity	Ingredient
	hand whisk
	8 cm fluted cutter, (optional)
	12-hole muffin tin

Method

To make the jam, put the strawberries, sugar and juice into a saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir to help the sugar dissolve, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5–10 minutes, testing to see if the jam is done by tipping a few drops on to a chilled saucer, waiting for 5 seconds, then pushing against the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles, the jam is done. If not, cook for a few minutes more, then test again. Take off the heat and allow to cool down.
To make either curd, put the butter, sugar, zest and juice into a saucepan and set over a low heat. Stir a little to help the sugar dissolve. Before all the butter has melted, take 1 tablespoon of the citrusy mixture and mix up in a cup with the cornflour. Pour the beaten eggs and cornflour into the pan and gently whisk until the curd noticeably starts to thicken. (If making lime curd, you might want to add a little food colour now, for the ‘traffic light’ effect.)
As soon as the mixture thickens, pour into a bowl, cover and put in the fridge. Don’t worry if it looks a bit thin; it will thicken as it cools.
For the tarts, put the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in 2 tablespoons of cold water, first using a spoon, then your hands to bring it together. Tip on to a lightly floured work surface and gently knead into a ball.
Roll the ball out to the thickness of a pound coin (about 3 mm) and press out circles with an 8 cm fluted cutter (or a 8 cm-wide cup). The circles need to be bigger than the holes in a 12-hole muffin tin so you can push them into the shape of a tart. Roll out the offcuts to make enough cases to fill the tin, then pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Take the tart cases out of the fridge and spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of jam or curd into each (no more, or the jam will bubble over the sides and weld the tarts to the tin).
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool. Remember, the jam is hot, so give them at least 30 minutes before you let little hands loose on them.

Note

This recipe has a level 1 (beginner) difficulty.

Extras

Once you’ve got the hang of the tart cases, you can experiment with lots more fillings: try crème pâtissière or even chocolate ganache. You could also try making them in different shapes – flowers, hearts and so on – though you’ll need novelty cutters for those.