These individual tarts have a raspberry surprise in the bottom. Vanilla essence may be substituted for the almond essence.
I needed to bake something for my son's Elizabethan social studies class project. We found a reference that these tarts were named for the maids of honour of Queen Elizabeth I. These tarts were delicious and a big hit with the kids and teacher in my son's class. I used mini-muffin tins, kept the oven rack at the regular position, and had good results using 10-12 minutes baking time. Also, since I used the mini-muffin tins, I reduced the amount of jam in each tart, probably to about 1/4 teaspoon. Wonderful taste and yummy combination! - 29 Apr 2004 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I made these for a church bake sale and they were a fabulous hit! Amazing taste, I used raspberry jam, blueberry jam, and even lemon curd. All versions were just great. - 18 Dec 2006 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I made these for christmas, they are delicious and added icing to each tartlet a cherry and angelica to make them look a bit christmassy. - 22 Dec 2011 (Review from Allrecipes UK & Ireland)