Rustic Jam Shortbread Tart

Reprinted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2008). Copyright 2008 by American Public Media.

Serves 4 to 6
10 minutes prep time; 30 minutes oven time
Keeps for 2 days, tightly wrapped, on the counter

Cut into buttery little pieces, this cross between a tart and a cookie crumbles and then melts away as you eat it. The shortbread comes together in a blur. You sidestep a rolling pin by patting the crust into the pan with your fingers, and the filling is as easy as taking jam straight from the refrigerator.

Shortbread is a gift to all the pastry-shy of this world. Its generous amount of butter and lack of liquid protects the dough from toughening. Shortbread is also the first cousin of the dreaded pie crust.

Learn to make shortbread and any pie crust will fall at your feet. There is one key step in this recipe that will ensure success with any pie-crust dough you ever attempt: Once all the ingredients are together in the processor, pulse them only until they begin to gather together in small clumps - better to stop processing early than late.

• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, organic preferred (measured by dipping and leveling)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Generous pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 chunks
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup jam (tart cherry and wild blueberry are especially good)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter a 9-inch round silver-colored cake or tart pan. (If using a dark-colored pan, you will want to cut baking time by about 5 minutes.)

2. With the food processor running, drop in the lemon zest and almonds, and grind them fine. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides, and add the flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk, and almond extract. Pulse until they are blended and starting to come together in small clumps at the bottom of the processor. (They should look like clusters of peas.)

3. Turn the pastry dough into the pan. With your hands, pat it out to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Give the tart a standing rim by nudging the dough 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Don't worry if it looks a little ragged.

4. Bake the crust in the center of the oven for 13 to 16 minutes, or until its edges are golden and the center is starting to color. The rim will sink down a little, which is fine.

5. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn the heat up to 500 F. Carefully spread the jam over the tart, and immediately return it to the oven (don't wait for the temperature to reach 500). Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the jam is bubbly.

6. Cool the tart on a rack, slice it into squares or wedges, and serve. Serve the tart warm - but not hot, because hot jam can burn.

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