Rantings of an Amateur Chef

We are a Pop Tart family.

Over the Christmas holidays, we ended up playing a family game with a group of relatives that was focused on products and brands. My boys were on a team with a third person and a card came up that had to do with cereal. I knew they would be at a loss as the only one in our house that will touch cereal is me.

When my wife and I were first living together I found that she had the same breakfast every day: one package of unfrosted strawberry pop tarts. Me, I needed variety, but she was perfectly fine having that same breakfast every day for years.

Those years went by and after making a conscious decision to eat healthier came, the pop tarts were replaced, but by that time my kids were hooked. They liked a variety of pop tarts, but still wanted those rectangular pastries for breakfast. They still do today, unless I force an outage and drive them to other items.

I came across this recipe a while back and saved it until just recently. These were pretty straightforward to make.

The recipe called for grape but it will work just as easy with any flavor.

Making the dough.

Resting in the fridge.

Rolled out and cut. Use a ruler.

After I started making the tarts I realized I had just used up all the parchment paper in the house with another recipe. As a consequence and not wanting to burn the tarts, I baked them on a baking stone. Unfortunately the stone does not have a lip to it and as some of the jelly ran out during baking, I made a mess in the oven.

Noticed the edges crimped via fork? Fancy….

Making the glaze.

The glaze had a distinct orange flavor (I did add the optional orange liqueur). I think next time, I would choose a less sticky choice and go with a standard glaze.

Grape Jelly Breakfast Tarts

Prep Time: 1 hours 30 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 30 minutes | Makes: 5 tarts | Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients:

For the Tarts:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold shortening, cut into small pieces
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grape jelly
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup milk

For the Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• Grated orange zest, for topping

Directions:

Make the tarts: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and about one-quarter of the butter and pulse until they disappear into the flour, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining butter and pulse a few times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse once or twice, until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk and wrap tightly; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. (For quicker tarts, use refrigerated pie dough and skip this step.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out ten 4-by-3-inch rectangles using a toaster pastry press or a paring knife. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill at least 15 minutes.

Spread 5 of the dough rectangles with a heaping tablespoonful of jelly each, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, then cover with the remaining 5 dough rectangles. Crimp the edges with a fork or use the toaster pastry press to seal. Chill at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake the tarts until flaky and golden, 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with the milk after 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Bring the granulated sugar, orange juice and liqueur (if using) to a simmer in a large skillet over low heat; cook until reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Let cool. Brush the glaze on the tarts, sprinkle with the orange zest and let set, 5 minutes.

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/560315