Coconut Jam Tartlets
These sweet and savory tartlets feature a buttery shortcrust pastry filled with tangy apricot jam and topped with a light and fluffy coconut meringue. They are a popular treat during the holiday season and are perfect for gift-giving or selling as a home industry (tuisnywerheid) product. Hertzoggies originated in the Cape Malay community in the Western Cape of South Africa and are loved for their unique combination of flavors. They are so delicious that they don't last very long.
Hertzoggies are named after J.B.M. Hertzog, who was the prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939. It's unclear who exactly invented the pastry, but it's believed to have originated in the Cape Malay community in the Western Cape of South Africa.
Ingredients for 60-70 small tartlets
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Eggs, separated
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Water
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Baking powder
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Salt
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Sugar
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margarine/butter, cold
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Smooth Apricot jam
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Flour in a shallow dish.
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Sugar
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Desiccated coconut
Total Time
Goes Great with
Method
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Carefully separate the eggs and set the whites aside. Mix the yolks with the water in a bowl.
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Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and sugar, and mix well.
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Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and rub it into the flour until it has the appearance of crumbs.
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Add the yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until it forms a soft dough. Allow the dough to rest for at least an hour, or even overnight in the fridge. In hot weather, it's preferable to keep the dough cool to prevent the butter from oozing too much.
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On a floured surface, roll out a 2-fist size portion of dough until it is thin, about 3mm. Use a circle cutter to press out circles with a diameter of 8cm.
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Line small tartlet pans with the dough circles.
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Scoop teaspoons of apricot jam onto the flour in the shallow dish, and roll them in the flour to coat. Place each scoop of jam into a tartlet and dust off any excess flour. This will prevent the jam from cooking out of the tartlets.
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To prepare the meringue topping, beat the egg whites until soft points form. Start adding the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. This will take some time, but the meringue should become smooth and shiny.
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Gently fold in the desiccated coconut into the meringue mixture.
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Use spoonfuls of the meringue mixture to cover the jam filling, making sure it is sealed all the way around.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ℃ for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
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Allow the tartlets to cool on a wire rack before storing them in sealed tins or any suitable container.
Notes
One thing to note is that the shortcrust pastry recipe tends to make more than is needed for the topping, so many bakers like to add a second topping to use up the excess dough (see "Goes Great With" for ideas).
1 h 55 min
