Gainsborough Tartlets

With stone fruit season fast approaching I was looking to reduce the amount of homemade jam in my pantry ready for the next harvest. Remembering this style of tart from my childhood but not remembering what they were called I started searching and found several considerably different versions, all called Gainsborough Tarts.

The similarities were a shortcrust pastry base, a jam filling and a coconut based top.

Here is my version:

In the food processor blitz:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 125 grams butter
• yolk of one egg (the white will be used in the topping)
• pinch or sprinkle of salt

Then add the

• juice of a lemon with enough water added to make 3 tablespoons

and blitz some more…

If necessary, add just enough extra water for the dough to form a ball.

Rest the dough in the fridge for 1/2 an hour or so (some people recommend plastic wrap but I just wrap it in the silicon sheet I will later roll it on ).

Roll the dough and line tart tins (I used foil tart tins because I had them in the cupboard), you could use muffin or cupcake pans if you don’t have tart tins.

Add about a teaspoon of jam to each tart (add more or less depending on the size of the tart).  I used Satsuma Plum this time.

Then add to the food processor:

• 150 grams butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg + the egg white left from the pastry

blitz until combined then add

• 1 cup desiccated coconut

and mix through.

Preheat the oven to 150°C, add the topping to the tarts and then bake for about 30 minutes until browned slightly.

These were yummy with the slight tartness of the Satsuma Plum jam and the sweet coconut topping complementing each other beautifully.