Makes 2 9-inch Tarts

This recipe was demonstrated for me by my dear Brittish friend Aimy Kersey, extraordinary mother, wife, actor, cook, and a pretty good salsa dancer. These traditional English tarts are a particular favorite at tea-time and during the Holidays. The buttery almond flavor combined with sweet jam is heady stuff. Feel free to make your own pastry crusts, but store-bought work just fine. Aside from spreading jam on the bottom of the crust and mixing up the filling in the processor, this recipe is so quick and easy it all but bakes itself.

Ingredients

2 frozen pie- crusts in 9-inch shells

Filling

3 tablespoons jam (raspberry, blackberry, marionberry, or a combination)

2-ounces raw almonds (about 1/3 cup)

4-ounces sugar (about ½ cup)

2-ounces flour (about ½ cup)

4-ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)

2 eggs

1-teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Using back of spoon, spread jam uniformly over bottom of each frozen pie- crust. In a food processor, grind almonds with sugar and flour until finely ground. Add butter, eggs and almond extract and continue to process until mixture is whipped and fluffy. Spoon almond mixture over jam, extending all the way to the crust, encasing jam completely.

Bake in preheated oven for about 30-minutes, or until knife comes out clean. If desired, glaze tart by painting it with warmed jam and decorate with sliced almonds. Cool refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be frozen in pie tin in sealed storage bags for up to 1 month.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy