Easy Jam Tart

When our oven broke down a few weeks ago, that didn't stop me from baking - I made this tasty jam tart in our toaster oven!  I took the tart to a friend's barbecue, and it was a big hit.  The crust is really easy to make - no rolling required, which I definitely appreciate!  After a quick chill in the fridge, part of the dough is pressed into the pan and the rest is cut up and layered on top of the filling.  I loved the flavor of the crust - the polenta in particular added great flavor - but personally I thought it was a little too 'crunchy' - next time I would probably use a finer grind of cornmeal in the recipe.  However, several people said they really liked the bigger pieces of polenta, so your mileage may vary!

If the crust of this tart is easy, the filling is even easier - just pop open a jar of jam!  This is a great use for using up jam if you've accumulated too many jars (my eyes are bigger than my stomach when it comes to canning!), and of course you can use either homemade or store-bought.  The sweetness of the jam paired really well with the less-sweet crust, making for an elegant, delicious dessert that looked like way more work than it really was!

Easy Jam Tart (adapted from David Lebovitz, original recipe here)
Makes 1 9-inch tart

9 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta or cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 cups jam (I used peach)

1. Beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed.  Add the egg, egg yolk, and lemon extract and beat until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, salt, and baking powder.  Add to the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
3. Divide the dough into two portions, about 1/3 and 2/3.  Roll the smaller portion into a log and pat the larger portion into a disc.  Wrap both in plastic and chill for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
5. Remove the larger piece of dough from the fridge and press it into the bottom and sides of the pan, as evenly as possible.  Spoon in the jam and spread evenly.  Remove the log of dough from the fridge and cut into cookie-sized discs - don't worry about being neat.  Lay the slices evenly over the top of the jam.
6. If the dough seems very soft, pop the tart in the fridge for 15 minutes or so; otherwise, bake right away.  Bake about 25 minutes, or until the tart is golden brown on top.