Easy-Easy Jam Tart Recipe

I am so-so sorry. I.Have.Been.Holding.Out. You see, there are still a handful of Kitchen Parade recipes from the first years (2002 through 2005) which haven't yet been published online. This Easy-Easy Jam Tart is one. And when you see how easy it is to put together a really impressive tart in just fifteen minutes? Yeah, I do hope you'll forgive me. Make Easy-Easy Jam Tart just once, it might just put me back in your good graces.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Make a Tart in Just Fifteen Minutes? Yes!

Ever make an elegant-looking tart in just 15 minutes? Start with Easy-Easy Jam Tart and I’m willing to bet you’ll turn to this simple, flexible recipe again and again. It’s an adaptation of an old Italian-style tart called "crostata della Nonna" or "grandmother’s tart".

Two tricks make this tart. First, the dough is done in the food processor, lickety split. Second, the filling is jam.

Have you yet discovered the microplane? I’ve been pooh-poohing them for awhile despite rave reviews in food magazines. Then a friend brought one when we cooked together one day.

Wow! It creates the lightest citrus zest, the airiest grated Parmesan. There are models especially for spices as well. The story is that a Canadian woman became fed up with her lemon grater and borrowed a wood-working tool from her husband’s workshop. Voilá – an indispensable kitchen tool. And – soooo many size and shape choices anymore! I have two, one for fine lemon zest and another for grating Parmesan.

Slim Slices? Easier with a Tart

Isn't a neat slice of tart somehow slightly more upscale than a piece of pie? I find too that it's easier to cut slim slices of tart than slim pieces of pie. Slim slices means a dessert that serves more people. Slim slices also help friends and family (to say nothing of ourselves!) limit portion size. Every little bite helps!

---

EASY-EASY JAM TART (Crostata Della Nonna, Grandmother's Tart)

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Finish time: 75 minutes
Time to table: 4 hours
Makes a nine-inch tart to serve 12 to 16

TART CRUST
• 2 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 250g
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• Zest of a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons (5oz/142g) salted butter, still cold, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg

JAM FILLING
• 1 cup - 1-3/4 cups (8oz-14oz/225g-400g) fruit preserves or jam

TO FINISH
• Powdered sugar, optional

Heat oven to 350F/175C. If you like, cut a round of parchment for the bottom of a nine-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

TART CRUST In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt for about 10 seconds. Arrange the butter pieces around the blade, process until a coarse meal forms. Add the yolks and egg and process until moist clumps form. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for a minute or two, just to bring the tart dough together.

Separate the dough into two parts, one larger (for the tart bottom and sides), one smaller (for the lattice, refrigerate this piece, it even helps to form the ten balls that will form the lattice and refrigerate those). Pat the larger piece into a round and place in a lightly oiled 10-inch tart pan. With your fingers, press the dough evenly along the bottom and sides of the pan. I like to start with the sides, finish with the flat bottom.

JAM FILLING Spread the jam evenly over the dough.

LATTICE With the remaining dough, form ten thin ropes and place criss-cross in a lattice across the jam, five one direction, five the other. If they're too soft to easily roll without breaking, just refrigerate the dough for a few minutes until it firms up, then continue rolling.

BAKE Bake for about 50 minutes. Out of the oven, the jam is all hot and bubbly, it will set up beautifully when the tart cools.

COOL & SERVE Let cool completely, allowing time for the jam to firm up. If you like, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, then serve in wedges at room temperature.

MAKE-AHEAD Can be made ahead, stays fresh for several days. Makes a great food gift!

ALANNA's TIPS If you’re comfortable rolling dough, use a rolling pin to form the tart crust; this is an easy dough to work with either way and I prefer the evenness of the rolled dough though the patting is mighty convenient. I love to make this tart with European-style less-sweet fruit preserves like this pretty bright-red lingonberry fruit spread which shows up quite regularly at places like TJMaxx and Marshalls, using all the 14-ounce jars. But I've also used other thicker, sweeter jams, though then use less jam and do prefer ones like strawberry and raspberry for pretty color contrast. For smaller servings, use a smaller tart pan. I have a seven-inch tart pan, just mix 2/3 of the crust ingredients or better yet, make 1/2 the crust and use fewer ropes in the lattice. That will save some calories too! My friend Helen Fletcher has a great technique for consistently pressing dough into tart pans, there are step-by-step photos here with Cranberry Linzer Tart. Her dough uses a mix of ground almonds and flour, a nice touch. It would be an easy substitute for the crust included here.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Slice, assumes 16/12 slices : 211/281 Calories; 8/10g Tot Fat; 5/7g Sat Fat; 58/77mg Cholesterol; 135/181mg Sodium; 32/43g Carb; 1g Fiber; 16/21g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 5/7 & Points Plus 6/7 & SmartPoints 9/13 & Freestyle 9/13.

---

More Tart Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more pie & tart recipes ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ egg yolk recipes ~
~ egg white recipes ~
~ jam recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2003, 2014, 2015 (online), 2018 & 2019