Swiss tartlets are pastries made with jam and are like petits fours. They are small melt-in-your-mouth delicate pastry that is made with just a few ingredients. These tartlets are so quick to make that sometimes I make them for friends while I am preparing tea for them. The base or the shell is not puff pastry or filo, but these are a hybrid between pastry and cookies. The taste of lavender alongside grape remind me of the lavender fields that grow along side vineyards in France. The rows of lavender that are grown between grapevines suggest a kind of marriage between the two flavors. The air over those fields is fragrant with lavender. You can use lavender essence or in this case, I used freshly picked, dried, and finely chopped lavender flowers from my garden to give a robust aroma and flavor. I got my inspiration from such a magnificent French setting.

These tartlets are easy and quick to make. All you need are ingredients from your pantry such as butter, sugar, and flour. If you do not have lavender essence, you can substitute with vanilla essence. The choice of jams is a matter of taste and preference. I have used homemade grape jam which are black seeded grapes that are crushed and cooked with sugar and lemon. My garden yields only a few bunches of grapes every year that are so precious to me that I make jams that will last for months and remind me of my effort to grow these vines. You can use any jam such as strawberry or raspberry.

I think ahead of using certain flavors in conjunction with others and my goal has always been to maximize flavor. Vanilla is neutral in flavor meaning that it will go well with pretty much any fruit jam. I have found that these tartlets go well with a cup of espresso rather than a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Swiss Tartlets

Kanchan Dilip

Delicate pastry shells made with simple ingredients such as plain flour and sugar, and butter and filled with jam

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Baked Goods

Cuisine Continental

Servings 32 tartlets

Calories 162 kcal

Equipment

• Cake Mixer

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the pastry shells:

• ▢ 16 ounces unsalted butter
• ▢ 16 ounces all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ 4 ounces caster sugar
• ▢ 2 lavender seeds dried (optional)

For the filling and dredging:

• ▢ 5 tbsp grape jam
• ▢ 1 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 400^oF.
• Line a tray with approximately 32 baking cups.
• Sift the flour with the salt and split them into two portions.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a cake mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add the lavender seeds from the dried flowers and beat again. Add one half of the flour and beat well until fluffy.
• Mix in the other half of the flour and beat for 3 minutes.
• Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, and spoon out a small ball of the mixture.
• Roll into ball using your palms and put each ball into a baking cup and press down in the center to form a depression for the jam with your thumb.
• Bake the tartlets for 10 minutes.
• Allow the tartlets to cool. Put a little jam in the center and dredge with icing sugar after they have cooled.
• Serve with espresso coffee or tea.

Notes

1. You need baking cups for this recipe, but you could still use small madeleine molds or muffin trays that are greased.
2. Raspberry, strawberry or cherty jam will be fine in lieu of grape.
3. You can substitute vanilla or almond essence for the lavender essence or flowers.

Other Questions:

1. Are Viennese whirls similar to Swiss Tartlets? They are similar, but I use corn flour in addition to the plain flour in Viennese Whirls.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 21mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 354IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Swiss tartlets, Swiss tarts

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