Maids Of Honour Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Move oven rack to bottom position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 2-inch tart tins.
• Roll out pastry and cut 12 3-inch circles. Fit one pastry circle into each tart tin. Spread one teaspoon of raspberry jam into the bottom of each tart shell.
• In a medium mixing bowl, cream together softened butter or margarine and white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg. Add flour, baking powder, and almond extract and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter into each tart shell.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until risen and firm. Dust tarts with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and beat until light.
• Add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Form small balls between hands and put into small cupcake pans or muffin pans.
• Make a deep hole in center by pushing up around edges.
• Mix jam and nuts together; fill tarts.
• Bake at 375°F for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Top with whipped cream when serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) Roll pastry carefully in both directions until about 1/4-inch (7 millimeters) thick, cut in circles about 3-inches (75 millimeters) in diameter and allow to rest. Mix cheese, sugar, lemon rind, and almonds, then add egg and mix until combined. Press pastry into mini muffin pans. It is important that it is thin on the base and thick on the sides. Fill about 2/3 full with mixture and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. and line a tray with 12 small shallow cases
• Add the plain flour into a large bowl and add the 100g of butter. Mix together using the rubbing method/ using fingertips until it had a bread crumb consistency.
• Use a butter knife and slowly add in the water until a dough has formed. Then roll out onto a surface, preferably with plain flour sprinkled onto it, to the thickness of approx. a £1 coin
• Cut into circles so you can line it in the cake case and it will just start to hang over. Do this until you have used up all of the pastry
• Add 1/2 tsp of your choice of filling( e.g jam) into every case with pastry and then leave to the side
• Add all filling ingredients and beat into a bowl together. Then add 1tsp of mixture into every tart and put into the oven for 20 mins or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 425F degrees.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour with the diced butter and the scant teaspoonfuls of shortening. Cover and place the bowl into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another bowl, place the eggs, lemon juice, rosewater or orange-flower water, and a pinch of salt and put in the refrigerator. Using a food processor (or by hand, but this will take some elbow grease), blend the fats and flour until the pastry just begins to come together, yet still is a little coarse and crumbly. Take care not to over-blend, as this process goes quickly, so watch carefully. Gradually feed the liquids in through the feeder spout until the pastry is almost coming together. Scoop it out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead a few times with your hands, then form into two discs, wrap each disc in cling wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.
• While pastry is chilling, make the filling. Cut lengthwise down the vanilla bean with the tip of a sharp knife. Place the vanilla bean with the cream into a saucepan, and heat to just under the boiling point over a medium heat. Do not boil or it will curdle. Off the heat and remove the bean, scraping some of the seeds into the cream. Now add the butter, sugar, ground almonds, egg, lemon zest and juice, and the rosewater or orange-flower water, stirring well to combine. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
• Roll out half the pastry, cut out 12 rounds with a 3-inch round cutter, and place into a 12-hole tart or muffin pan, pressing down with your fingers so they're well lined. Spoon half the filling into the pastry cases (remembering you'll have a second batch to do). Leave a good inch below the rim, as the custard will rise up as it bakes. Dust lightly with some fresh nutmeg and transfer carefully to the pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the custard's golden and puffy.
• Let the tarts sit in the pan for a few minutes before standing, unmolded, on a wire rack to cool. Dust tops with icing sugar.
• When the pan is cool, repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Leave the tarts to cool a little before serving (arrange them on a pretty serving plate or silver platter), but they are best eaten still slightly warm.

Steps:

• For the crust in a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and work it through with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it in with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove dough from fridge and place on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. You can use a glass or biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Place cut outs in a muffin or tart pan. Place a 1/4 tsp. of the preserves in the center of each crust. In a mixing bowl mix beat the filling ingredients and then place 1 tablespoon of filling over the preserves in each crust. Bake at 400 for 20 min or until lightly browned.
• Mix confectioners sugar, extract and milk until desired consistency. You may add more sugar to thicken. Frost each tart after cooling and then top with a piece of a maraschino cherry if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until smaller than peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of milk at a time over the dough until moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2 inch circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. Press circles into the bottom and up the sides of ungreased mini muffin cups. set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together 2 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Beat in the eggs and sherry, then stir in the ground almonds. Place 1/4 teaspoon of jam into the bottom of the lined cups. Cover with 1 tablespoon of the almond mixture.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly before removing from muffin tins to cool on wire racks.