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Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

bramble and liquorice jam tarts

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… one of the good things I took away from my recent hideous television cooking ‘show’ experience was a pot of Braken Hill Bramble and Liquorice Jelly… I was totally enamoured with the combination and The Viking is a massive fan of liquorice so I knew i’d be on to a winner. We don’t really eat a massive amount of jam here at Belleau Cottage, it tends instead to go into cakes and biscuits or is left folournly in the back of a cupboard waiting for guests who love their jam and toast in the morning so when Karen and Kate, the two tea time treats temptresses chose jam as the theme for this months challenge my thoughts went immediately to this little pot of jewelled loveliness…

… i’ve been experimenting with pastry quite a bit lately.  I think it’s the influence of the brilliant Great British Bake Off and with the Masterclasses now on television with Paul and Mary making everything look so patronisingly easy i’ve been giving all kinds of things a chance… i’m even having a go at puff pastry this weekend… and so earlier this week I made a cream-cheese pastry for a sausage pie, the cream cheese makes the pastry very delicate, is not too overpowering and works very well will savoury and sweet dishes…I had quite a bit of straggly pastry left over and we all know what to make with left over pastry… jam tarts!

bramble and liquorice jam tarts
i’m very excited because for the first time ever I am attending the incredible Willow Manor Ball… The Viking and I are dressed and ready to go now… in fact, as I type this I can hear the Chinook helicopter circling above the cottage ready to whisk us off for a night of debauched revelry…and of course with the time difference between here and Ohio we shall arrive just as the party is in full swing.  As a special gift for all the glamorous guests I am taking a large wicker hamper full of these gloriously jewelled jam tarts which shall be handed around to each guest by my own personal valet… and what am I wearing to this incredible event… well we thought we’d go for the full traditional morning suit – in fact here’s a little snap I took of us getting ready earlier today… champagne always in hand of course, darlings… won’t you join us there…
can’t believe i’m giving you a recipe for jam tarts but here goes…
for the pastry
8oz plain flour
4oz butter
2oz full fat cream cheese

for the filling
a jar of jam
– in a large bowl, crumble the flour and butter together with your hands until it forms fine crumbs, then add the cream cheese and bring together with a round-headed knife, you may need to add a drop or two of water to bind it into a dough but this should be added very sparingly and only if you need it
– wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins
– once chilled roll the pastry out out nice and thin and using a scone cutter, cut the dough into circles that are just larger than your tart tin
– place the cut circles into the tin, fill each one with a teaspoon of jam and bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes or until the jam has melted and the pastry is beginning to turn golden
– I crumbled some left-over carrot and coconut cake onto some of the tarts just before they came out of the oven, which added a lovely textured topping…
eat and of course go wild at willow manor!

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Comments

  2. Chele says

    Lol – great post. Don't you scrub up well too ;0)
    I shall be baking with liquorice this afternoon so I can only hope my offering turns out any where near as well as your jam tarts have, marvelous combo of flavours.

  3. Katharine says

    I haven't had a jam tart for years but having seen yours, I now have a real craving for them!

    Have fun at the ball – I popped in just to say hello but couldn't stay, I wasn't really dressed for the occasion – all guests were having a great time though!

  5. Janice says

    Bramble and liquorice sounds gorgeous, I want to know how to make the jam! What lovely tarts, and the baking looks good too 😉

  6. Suelle says

    Like Janice, I'd love to know how to make that jam – Hubs loves liquorice! The tarts look perfect – with a set filling rather than overheated dried out jam, as so often happens!

    I hope you enjoyed the ball – you both looked very smart!

  7. Choclette says

    You do live the high life you two. Gorgeous photo – of the tarts not you 😉

    Didn't mean that last comment of course, but I do love liquorice and have been wanting to use it in baking for ever, but somehow don't quite manage it. I'm with Janice and want to know how. Cream cheese pastry sounds good and is another thing I've been meaning to try for years.

  14. Karen S Booth says

    LOVE that black and white photo of you and I LOVE those POSH jam tarts darlink! Simply divine and delectable and so VERY you! Thanks for coming up with something special for Tea Time Treat, and you can call me a temptress any time you like, you dashing hero! Karen

  17. Marmaduke Scarlet says

    You had me at bramble . . . lost me at liqorice and got me back with your cake topping . . . which on my laptop looks like gold glitter. Fabulous!

    BTW . . . you were on the telly? Whaa? Have I missed something? Do tell!

  19. Caroline says

    Oh, it's been far too long since I had jam tarts – I love the look of yours, really, really full of jam. That pastry sounds good too, I've never really tried with pastry but am thinking that I should… if only to make jam tarts.

  21. Bee's Blog says

    This makes me want to start baking again. I too have not had a jam tart for years, Problem in this country is finding a 'good' jam and when one does, it's horribly expensive.

  23. Laura loves cakes says

    What interesting tarts…I'm not a massive fan of liquorice but I'd love a bramble tart! They look so tasty and that sounds like an unusual pastry recipe! Enjoy the ball…let's hope no one turns into a pumpkin at midnight! 😉

  24. FireLight says

    These tarts are just too delicious! If I have to turn into something at midnight…I hope it is a bramble liquorice tart!! Yummers! So glad you made it to the ball!

  25. Karen S. says

    Oh my goodness-who is the handsome catch on the left where (I'm assuming your date is pouring) I never saw him at the ball! …and I think we followed you in, because my date (guitar man) hunk though, noticed that you also carried your own champagne in just like I always do! Yes, he thought it quite odd when everything there was free! I know crazy right!

  27. Cheri Daniels says

    Well thank you for making my dress fit a little more snug…I couldn't resist your treats! Note to self: if you bring more confections next year, I'm wearing a girdle under this thing!

  32. Baking Addict says

    You look very dapper in your suit. So does the Viking – really lovely photo. The jam tarts look great too but I have to admit I'm not a fan of liquorice. Will have to try crumbling cake on top of jam tarts next time – genius!