Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Jam Tarts

Hear ye, hear ye: Longtime Food52er MrsWheelbarrow has come out with a beautiful new cookbook! All week long, Cathy will be sharing recipes from Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry and giving us new ways to use up the preserves in our cupboards. And we're giving away a copy each day -- so you can finally get over your fear of preserving.

Today: Put your leftover jam to good use -- use it to fill tiny tarts for dessert and tea time and all the hours in between. 

This combination of shortbread and jam is both a perfect ending to a dinner party and a lovely treat for teatime. I’ve made them tiny, in financier molds; medium-sized in classic small tart molds; and in a 9-inch tart pan. The shortbread crust is pantry-friendly, it’s ready in an instant, and it marries perfectly with whatever leftover jam is lurking in your refrigerator.

The crust can be made by hand or with a mixer; I use a mixer. This is a very sandy dough. Don't despair. Just press it into the molds and bake. 

More: Worried you don't have the right pots and pans? Here are Mrs. Wheelbarrow's essential tools for pickling and preserving.

Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Jam Tarts

Makes 12 tiny tarts, six 3-inch tarts, or one 9-inch tart

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
Big pinch kosher salt
8 ounces any jam, preserves, or conserves

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton 

Every day this week, we're giving away a copy of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry! To win today's copy, tell us in the comments: What's your favorite way to use up leftover jam? We'll choose winners this Friday, November 7th. (U.S. entrants only, please!) 

Update: Nogaga, pamelalee, littleknitter, lizzaljoelle, and Matteo Cavelier are our winners! We hope you enjoy your copies of Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry.