I made my own Christmas cards this year. I guess I had some time on my hands, pandemic and all.
In 1883, there were just six houses in Saskatoon. One of them, home to the Trounce family, still stands. That year, they hosted a community Christmas dinner. The menu included beef pie, boiled and roasted potatoes, current biscuits, bread and butter, blanc mange (custard) and a jam tart.
(Sorely missing in fresh vegetables in the middle of a prairie winter.)
We know this because Mrs. Trounce wrote a letter home to her family in England describing the dinner. This letter is now in the collection of Sask Archives.
I looked up a recipe for jam tart in an old timey British cookbook. Only two ingredients, what could be simpler or prettier? Wishing sweet and sparkly holidays to you all 💝
Jam Tart
Pastry for one pie crust
2 cups of jam
Note #1: Do not use a low sugar or artificial sugar jam as I can't vouch it will set properly.
Note #2: If you have two pie crusts, you can cut decorative shapes with a cookie cutter to top the pie. This is optional.
1. Spread the jam evenly in the pie crust. Top with decorative shapes (optional).
2. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes, until pastry is lightly brown.
3. Cool completely before cutting. Jam Tart is nice by itself or served with whipped cream.
