Jam tarts made from leftover pastry dough
I was making some Chinese egg tarts the other day and had some leftover pastry dough. Usually what I would do is put my leftover dough in a cling wrap and keep it in the freezer until I have the time to make another pastry dessert again. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes months before I am able to find the time to make another sweet pastry dessert again. When this happens, I would normally just throw away the remaining dough because it had been kept for too long in the freezer. What a waste, right?
So this time, I decided that since I had the whole evening to bake without any other commitments, I might as well think of something else to do with my leftover pastry before it goes to the bin again.
I thought about all the pastry desserts I could possibly make with the remaining sweet pastry dough. However, most of the leftover pastry ideas I have were just too complicated and time consuming. I told myself whatever it is, I’m not going to spend much time on this second dessert. So I decided to make some lovely jam tarts!
This is what I did to make the jam tarts:-
How to make jam tarts with leftover pastry dough
Ingredients:
Leftover sweet shortcrust pastry (also known as pâte sucrée)
Egg wash (1 egg, beaten lightly)
Fruit jam of your choice (I recommend strawberry or raspberry jam)
Method:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 C.
2. Use a teaspoon to take one quantity of pastry dough.
3. Roll the dough into a ball with your hands.
4. Lightly oil your cookie tray with some softened butter. Put some baking paper on the oiled cookie tray.
5. Slowly press the dough onto the cookie tray with the palm of your hand.
6. Use a melon scoop or your index finger to make a small indent at the centre of the dough.
7. Take about ½ tsp of fruit jam and place it in the small indent.
8. Use a pastry brush to spread some egg wash on the dough.
9. Put the jam tarts in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they are slightly golden in colour.
10. There you have it. Perfect jam tarts to accompany your tea!
What do you think? Is it a great idea to make jam tarts instead of storing your remaining sweet pastry in the freezer? Or do you have any other leftover pastry ideas? I’m always learning and happy to hear your thoughts on this.
