Queen of Hearts Tarts

I am still in a very festive Queen's Jubilee mood! 70 years on the throne! World's longest reigning Monarch. What a wonderful excuse for celebrating! I have really enjoyed watching all of the festivities on the television!
What I could get anyways. I am feeling very nostalgic and homesick for the UK this weekend I can say! Its all been very lovely.

Can you handle one last bake in honor of Her Majesty? Oh, I am sure that you can! Especially when it is as something as good as this Queen of Hearts Tarts recipe!
Crisp and flaky pastry cases, filled with a delicious almond frangipane, which is then topped with warm jam and crisp pastry hearts. Perfect for a truly royal celebration!

These are incredibly easy bakes, requiring very few ingredients and they are so delicious and pretty when they are done. You can make your own pastry from scratch or you can use ready roll pastry. It is all up to you!
Lets get baking!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUEEN OF HEARTS TARTS
Not a lot really!

Plain flour to dust
1/2 pound of pastry (250g) made with a bit of sugar
2 TBS butter at room temperature
2 TBS fine granulated sugar
2 TBS beaten egg (use rest to glaze the hearts)
scant 1/2 cup (40g) ground almonds
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup (100g) seedless raspberry jam
sugar to sprinkle (optional)

As I said you can use ready made pastry or you can make your own. I made my own. I highly recommend my Butter and Lard Pastry. Its beautiful and flaky.
For a sweet bake such as this I would add two teaspoons of sugar to the flour mixture.
You can use whatever kind of jam you like. I think red jams are particularly festive looking. You will want a seedless jam. Raspberry is particularly good as is strawberry.
Queen of Hearts Tarts

If you want to you can brush the little cut out hearts with a bit of egg wash and sprinkle with some sanding/coarse sugar. It adds a bit of sparkle.
Doesn't a special occasion call for a bit of sparkle? I think so too!
The almonds for the filling are finely ground. You can use almond flour. I used the ground almonds that you can buy at Costco. Kirkland brand.

HOW TO MAKE QUEEN OF HEARTS TARTS
These really are very simple to make. They only look complicated!

Lightly dust the countertop with flour. Roll out your pastry about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 12 (3-inch) rounds using a fluted cutter. Use to line 12 small tart tins. Prick the bottoms and chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling and bake the pastry hearts.Gather the scraps of pastry and cut out 12 1-inch hearts. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

In a small bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Stir in the 2 TBS egg yolk, ground almonds and almond extract to combine well.

Remove the tart shells from the refrigerator. Divide the almond mixture between each tart shell evenly, smoothing the tops with the back of a metal spoon.Brush the remaining egg onto the tops of the pastry hearts and sprinkle with some sugar if desired. Bake the hearts in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown.

Place the filled tart tins onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until light golden. Remove from the oven and press the almond filling down lightly with the back of a teaspoon just to flatten slightly.

Heat the jam in a small saucepan and then spoon a little bit over the top of each tart to cover the almond filling. Top each with a pastry heart.Allow to cool before eating or storing.

These really are lovely tarts. Perfect for tea parties or children's parties or as part of a celebratory buffet. They make a really pretty addition to the tea table.
You can make them up to a day ahead and they also freeze very well, which means you can make them well ahead of time. Just pop into air tight containers and freeze, taking them out several hours prior to your needing them.

If you are a fan of tarts you may enjoy the following:BAKEWELL TARTS - Crisp pastry shells filled with jam, topped with frangipane, a glaze and a cherry!CANADIAN BUTTER TARTS - You can't go wrong! Crisp pastry filled and baked with a sweet almost caramel like filling, studded with raisins. Very rich and moreish.
SCOTTISH COCONUT AND JAM TARTS - Crisp pastry shells filled with jam topped with a moreish baked coconut, almost macaroon like topping!