Congress Tarts

Congress Tarts © Past Recipes

As soon as I decided to start Past Recipes I knew that Congress Tarts would be one of the first things that I tried from my great-great-grandmother Lottie’s handwritten recipe book of 1912.

They feature a little jam spooned into the bottom of a pastry case, covered with an almond mixture and topped with some pastry or almond decoration.

Lottie’s recipe for Congress Tarts is one of those which has stuck around through the generations. I have copies of it jotted down by my great-grandmother Thelma, my great-aunt Lorna and my Nan. It is a family favourite and I hope that you like it too!

The history of the Congress Tart, however, is a little obscure. They seem to be the West Country version of a collection of pastries which are called by several different names around Britain – such as the Bakewell Tart.

Some say that Congress Tarts were first known by this name in Robert Wells’ ‘The Modern Flour Confectioner’ of 1888. Wells provides us with a recipe for “Congress Curd”, which requires 1 lb of caster sugar, ½ lb of ground almonds and the whites of 6 eggs, all mixed together.

In any case, Lottie’s version of Congress Tarts was penned but a couple of decades after Wells’ - during the Christmas of 1912. That being the time of her wedding, I like to think of Lottie copying out her own mother and grandmother’s recipes as she was setting up her new home.

I have transcribed Lottie’s Congress Tarts recipe below. As she didn’t give the most detailed of instructions (my Nan tells me that Lottie never measured out ingredients), it is followed by an account of how I made them and my recommendations for trying them out for yourself.

Congress Tarts

Ingredients

• Some shortcrust pastry
• A little jam
• Ground almonds
• Sugar
• A couple of eggs
• Almond essence

Method

1. Line a dozen patty tins with shortcrust pastry and add a little jam
2. Mix all of the ingredients together and three parts fill
3. Cross with strips of pastry and bake in a slow oven

For my most recent batch, I made my own shortcrust pastry using a recipe from my mum’s 90s edition of ‘The Dairy Book of Home Cookery’. However, you could use your own family recipe or cheat with a pack of ready-to-roll/ready-rolled. Whatever you have the time and ingredients for!

Similarly, you only need about a quarter of a teaspoon of jam for each tart, so don’t worry if you don’t have a full jar. Raspberry jam seems to be the traditional choice, but I prefer strawberry. Experiment and see what takes your fancy!

A crinkle cookie cutter and a cupcake tray will work nicely for preparing the pastry cases. Just roll the pastry out on a floured surface (no thicker than a £1 coin), cut it into rounds and pop them into the tray.

Neither Lottie, Thelma or Lorna included measurements in their notes on Congress Tarts. However, when I asked my Nan to teach me how to make them, she used 3 oz of ground almonds, 3 oz of sugar, 2 eggs and 2-3 tsp almond essence (dependent upon taste).

You’ll need about two teaspoons of almond mixture for each tart. Make sure that it covers the jam but not so that it reaches the top of the pastry case.

It is customary to decorate Congress Tarts with a cross made from two thin strips of pastry. My Nan has memories of her mother, “when she was feeling silly”, twisting the pastry to make the tarts that little bit fancier. My mum, however, always remembers them sprinkled with almond flakes, as I have done here.

Lottie mentions baking the tarts in a “slow oven”, but not for how long. Once again, I have followed my Nan's advice and baked them at a moderate Gas Mark 3 or 4 (140-160°C Fan/160-180°C) for about twenty minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the filling is golden and the pastry is cooked.

I like Congress Tarts warm out of the oven with a cup of tea or coffee, but they’ll stay nice for a couple of days. If you’re feeling super indulgent then have one with a dollop of Cornish clotted cream!

I’d love to know if you try out Lottie’s Congress Tarts recipe, what jam you go for and how you decide to decorate them – so please feel free to comment or to catch up with me on social media.

Katie

Congress Tarts © Past Recipes