Savoury jam tarts

I mentioned these savoury tarts before, after I had made these sweet versions. Whilst perusing the fridge looking for as many different types of jam and jelly I could find, I was intrigued by the idea of using savoury jellies as I spied some mint and balsamic varieties. Straight away I began to ponder what combinations could be created.

The pastry was bog standard short crust which I discovered was better once baked blind for 10 minutes, as I did with my second batch. The filings, however, were only limited to what I had available and what I could conjure. Recipe at bottom of post

Anything remotely jelly-ish with melting properties was game and so I started with one of my favourite combinations: Marmite and cheese. Only the merest drip of Marmite is required as it is so pungent and strongly flavoured.

It melted into a pool underneath the molten Cheddar which caught on the edges to provide some caramelised, crispy bits.

Branston pickle is a particularly British condiment and revered on cheese sandwiches. Tangy, sweet and fruity, it also provided a good base for more Cheddar.

Baby tomatoes, cut in halves, were the final accompaniments to the cheese tarts. They were also the only ones to get any extra seasonings, a good sprinkling of oregano adding to a baby pizza like effect.

Red onions, whilst cooked for at least 1 hour, caramelise and almost melt, (recipe at bottom of post). They were topped with some tangy, sweet balsamic jelly which provided a perfect match to the sweetness.

Here we have tomato and cheese, prawn and sweet chili sauce, red onion and balsamic, cheese and marmite, cheese and Branston and artichoke with peri peri sauce.

For the second batch I added shrimp with mango chutney, shrimp with kimchee and gochujang sauce and cream cheese with mint jelly, (the original idea was for some sliced lamb - but it just proved too expensive).

Recipe : Savoury jam tarts

Pastry : see here

Makes about 24 little tarts

To cook the pastry blind, first heat the oven to 400oF. Grease and flour a shallow muffin tray and roll the pastry out to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a glass or cutter slightly larger than the tray holes and use each pastry circle to fill each hole, pressing the pastry into the hole. Fill with some dried beans or rice and repeat with the other spaces. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the beans or rice. The tart cases are now ready to be filled.

Fillings:

1. 1/2 tsp Marmite and 1/2 tbsp grated cheese

2. 1/2 tbsp Branston or other pickle or chutney and 1/2 tbsp grated cheese

3. 2 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, 1/2 tbsp grated cheese and a pinch of dried oregano

4. 1/2 tbsp jarred artichoke hearts and 1/2 tbsp Peri Peri sauce

5. 1/2 tbsp caramelised red onions (recipe at bottom) and 1 tsp balsamic jelly

6. 1 medium raw shrimp, peeled and chopped and 1 tsp sweet chili sauce

7. 1 medium raw shrimp, peeled and chopped and 1 tsp mango chutney

8. 1 medium raw shrimp, peeled and chopped, 1 tsp kimchee and 1/2 tsp gochujang sauce

9. 1 tsp cream cheese and 1 tsp mint jelly

10. 1 mushroom, chopped small, 1/4 tsp white truffle butter and 1 tsp grated cheese

Recipe : Caramelised onions  

(I took a few tsp of these from the onions I prepared for the red onion tart, see here).

2 large red onions, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter

a splash of balsamic vinegar 

salt and pepper

Melt the oil and butter over a medium heat in a large pan and add the onions. Cook, covered but stirring frequently for about 20 minutes, until the onions are completely softened. Remove the lid and continue to cook, stirring for another 30 - 40 minutes until the onions are meltingly soft and sweet. Add the splash of balsamic and season well.

To make your tarts, spoon the fillings into the cases and bake in the oven for a further 20 minutes or so. You want the jams, jellies and cheese to melt and the shrimp to cook through. Once everything is bubbly and golden brown, remove from the oven and let sit in the tray to firm a little. After a few minutes remove to a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.