How Do I Make Congress Tarts With Rice Flour?

Congress Tarts make a special dessert.

Congress Tarts are a dessert commonly served in England with coffee or tea in the afternoon. These small raspberry and coconut-flavored pies date back to the 17th century and are named for the Congress that met in Germany following the Thirty Years War. Though there are a couple varieties of Congress Tarts, they are typically made with rice flour to create a thicker tart filling.

Things You'll Need

• 2 muffin tins
• 18 tart pastry shells
• 2 mixing bowls
• 3 egg whites
• Wire whisk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup ground almonds
• 1 1/2 tbsp. rice flour
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Spatula
• 1/4 cup dried coconut flakes
• Spoon
• Raspberry jam
• Dried coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Place the 18 tart pastry shells into the ungreased muffin tins. Most muffin tins have 12 spaces so it's best to put nine pastry shells in each muffin tin for even baking. Place the pastry shells in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to keep them from shrinking during the baking process.

2. 

   A wire whisk beats egg whites by whipping air into them.

   Beat the egg whites in one mixing bowl until they are white and foamy but still "liquidy."

3. Combine 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup ground almonds, 1 1/2 tbsp. rice flour and a pinch of cinnamon in the second bowl. Stir the ingredients until they're well mixed.

4. Fold the sugar and rice flour mixture into the beaten egg whites using a spatula. Gently dip the side of the spatula down, underneath the mixture; lift the spatula up and repeat until the dry ingredients are gently mixed in. Add 1/4 cup dried coconut flakes and fold those into the Congress Tart filling mixture.

5. 

   Jam made from raspberries provides one of the main flavors of Congress Tarts.

   Spoon 2 tbsp. raspberry jam into each tart pastry shell. Place 1 1/2 tbsp. of the coconut and rice flour filling on top of the raspberry jam. Top off the filling with a sprinkling of dried coconut for decoration.

6. Bake the tarts in an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Leave the tarts in for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges of the pastry shells are golden brown.

7. Allow the tarts to cool fully before removing them from the muffin tins.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute currant jam for another variation of Congress Tarts.

• Homemade pastry shells may be used instead of store-bought.

References

• Cooks for Cooks: Congress Tarts

Resources

• Cook It Simply: Congress Tartlets
• The Caked Crusader: Congress Tarts