A jam tart for all ages
Have any of you ever read Bread and Jam for Frances? It’s a classic children’s book by Lillian Hoban that tells the story of Frances, a little hedgehog with a BIG attitude. She decides that the only food for her is bread and jam. All. The. Time. Though her mother tries to tempt Frances with her favorite dishes, she doesn’t eat anything else for days. You’ll have to get the book to find out what happens. Spoiler alert: Spaghetti and Meatballs. Oh, and lobster salad.
Though I love all varieties of food, sometimes I can relate to Frances, especially if I discover a delectable jam. You know, the kind that looks like summer in a jar: seeds suspended in colorful swirls of fruit juice. I found one of these last Sunday when I visited the market in our French village. One of my favorite vendors had laid out a table with leeks from her spring garden and some “confitures” she’d made last July. Her stand was visually simple and elegant. And tempting. I brought home both leeks and apricot jam.
That jewel-like jar has been sitting on my counter all week, but last night at suppertime I opened it. The aroma of a Mediterranean summer “plein d’apricots” filled the kitchen. The only thing to do was pick up a piece of bread and start spreading. And that was dinner. Delicious. Simple. Elegant. Frances would have been proud.
After the feast
This morning when I came downstairs for coffee, slippers on the feet, jammies not yet off, I still had jam on the brain. So the first thing I did was make a tart with what remained from last night’s feast. It’s made out of a simple shortbread crust pressed into a pan that’s then dotted with jam, sprinkled with more shortbread crumbs and finished off with a handful of almonds.
Bread and Jam, for grownups.
*************
Italian Shortbread with Almonds and Jam
This excellent recipe is adapted from one in Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style by Cindy Mushet. I have made it so often and love it more each time. It’s extremely easy and makes a great gift. Have fun experimenting by substituting the jam of your choice.
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ cup apricot jam
1/3-1/2 cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit, set a rack in the middle of the oven. You will need a 9″ ungreased, fluted springform pan
Beat together the butter and the sugar and add the almond extract until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and the salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until blended (30-40 seconds). The dough will be stiff, even crumbly.
Remove ½ cup of the dough and spread it on a small plate in a thin layer. Place it in the freezer. In the meantime, press the remaining dough evenly in the pan – it can be higher at the edge but the center shouldn’t be elevated. Now spread the jam evenly over the dough. Crumble the remaining dough that you put in the freezer over the jam. Sprinkle with the almonds and bake 40 to 50 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.
