by Rod
(Texas, USA)
Long before commercial bakeries filled the store shelves with tempting pastries, family bakers provided equally tempting pastries from the home kitchen. This recipe for tarts, along with a chunky home-style berry preserve, awakens memories of “the good ole’ days” with the identifying flavors, textures and aromas of home-baked pastries.
Mona’s Sweet Berry Tarts
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Mona’s Mashed Berry Preserve, chilled
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups yogurt or buttermilk, warmed *
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup coarse oat bran
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites, whipped
Whipped cream cheese on the side (optional)
* Dilute non-fat plain yogurt to consistency of buttermilk.
Directions:
Lightly coat two cool cookie sheets with cold butter. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda; mix well.
In a medium bowl, combine warmed yogurt and salt; stir briefly to mix. Add oat bran, stir, then cover and allow oat bran to soak 5 min.
Add vanilla and melted butter to oat bran mixture; stir to combine. Whip egg whites until foamy, add to oat bran mixture and stir vigorously to combine.
Pour oat bran mixture into prepared flour and stir gently just until combined.
Spoon 1/4 cup batter per mound onto cookie sheet, creating six rounded mounds evenly spaced on the cookie sheet. Spoon the remaining batter onto the other cookie sheet.
Spoon 1 tbsp of Berry Preserve into the middle of each mound, pressing down lightly with the spoon each time. Carefully push the preserve off with your finger or another spoon. Wipe the spoon each time before adding preserve to the next mound.
With a clean spoon, press on the top of each spoonful of preserve, pressing down, around and outward (avoid touching the batter). This creates a larger tart and allows for additional preserve. Fill the tarts with more Berry Preserve, selecting more fruit than jam.
Reduce oven to 375 degrees and bake until light brown on top (about 30-35 min.).
Serve tarts warm or cooled, with whipped cream cheese on the side if desired.
This recipe makes 12 medium, soft & slightly chewy tarts.
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