Sweetmeat and Nut Tartlets
These little shortbread tartlets are built from a buttery dough and filled with a mix of dried fruit and nuts bound in apricot jam, a festive format that earned its place on New Year’s tables across Eastern Europe. The dough comes together in an unusual order: softened butter is creamed first, then flour is worked in gradually, which gives a more tender, crumbly crumb than a classic shortcrust.
The two-hour chill isn’t fussiness for its own sake. Over two hours in the cold the fat firms up evenly, so the dough rolls out without tearing and holds the shape of the tartlet walls in the oven. The apricot jam in the filling acts as a binder while adding a light tartness that balances the sweetness of the raisins and dates.
Tips and Substitutions
- Use any dried fruit you like: dried apricots, prunes, figs, dates, cranberries; for nuts, try walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts. Firmer dried fruit is worth soaking for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand so the filling doesn’t turn out dry.
- If you don’t have apricot jam, a thick peach or apple jam works; a runny jam is better reduced a little, or the filling will spread.
- Don’t overwork the dough once the yolk goes in: long mixing makes it dense and costs you the crumbly texture.
Serve the tartlets warm or fully cooled, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh berries. In an airtight box they stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
Part of European cuisine — 67 more recipes in the section.
You might also like
Ingredients
Instructions
Dough
Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a bowl, mash it with a wooden spatula, and stir until smooth.In a separate bowl, combine the milk with the salt and sugar and mix well. Pour this mixture into the butter, stirring evenly.
Sift the flour. Add it to the mixture gradually, in batches and in a thin stream, mixing well. Add half the egg yolk and knead the dough as quickly as possible.
Turn the dough out onto a flour-dusted board, knead it by hand, roll it into a ball, and knead again. Roll into a ball once more and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Roll out the dough on a flour-dusted board. Cut out rounds slightly larger in diameter than the tartlet molds. Press the dough into the greased molds and trim the edges.
Filling and baking
Chop the dried fruit and nuts into small pieces. Mix them with the jam and 1 tablespoon of melted butter.Spoon the filling into the tartlet shells. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool and decorate to taste.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.