Sloe blossom bakewell tarts

Ingredients:

For the Sloe syrup

• Sloe flowers, 3 handfuls of flowers off their stalks

• 1 cup of Sugar

• 2 tsp of water

For the pastry

• 200g butter

• 1 cup of flour

• Some sloe syrup

For the frangipane

• 120g butter, softened

• 120g sloe syrup

• 1 egg

• 1 cup plain flour

• 90g cherry jam

For the icing

• Water

• 200g icing sugar

Method:

To make the sloe syrup, put the sugar and flowers in a jar and pop the full jar into a pan of simmering water, simmer until the sugar becomes yellowy in colour and soft but not runny (the smell at this stage should be epicly almond) add a small amount of to help the sugar become liquid. Remove from the pan of water once the syrup has become runny (I remove the flowers but you could leave them in if you wish.)

For the pastry

I don’t do rubbing in, it takes forever and I’ve usually got dirt from foraging up my nails which I don’t want in my pastry. So in a food processor add butter and flour and wizz until bread crumbs (takes about 30 seconds! Compared to hours rubbing in!) Then, still in the processor, add a little of the syrup until it starts to form a firm pastry. I usually do this a tablespoon at a time. Leave to chill in the fridge for about 30 mins.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly butter a 12 hole muffin tin. Once the pastry has rested, use a 10cm circular pastry cutter to cut 12 circles out of the pastry sheet. Press the cut circles into the holes of the tin, making sure they come right up and slightly over the top – pushing out any creases. Scrunch up 10cm x 10cm squares of baking paper and then un-scrunch and use to line each of the pastry tarts, then fill with baking beans, rice or dried pulses. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 10 mins longer, until golden brown. Set aside to cool a little.

To make the frangipane

Make the filling by beating together the butter and hawthorne syrup until light and fluffy, then whisk in the egg, followed by the flour (the flour will prevent the mixture from splitting). 

Construction

Spoon a level tsp of jam (i use whatever homemade fruit jam I have in usually raspberry) into each of the pastry shells, followed by a tablespoon of the frangipane mixture. Bake for 20 mins, until the frangipane is golden and springy. 

Set aside to cool completely. Neaten the edges of the pastry with a small knife or scissors if you like.
Mix the icing sugar with 2 tbsp water. Spread the icing over each of the tarts, top each with a glacé Cherry or some flowers , leave to set for 20 mins in the fridge, then serve with a wild tea.