Mirlitons de Rouen, or Almond Tartlets Filled with Jam

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“Elle à table” is the only food magazine I regularly buy. It is modern, creative, interesting, doesn’t feature only recipes, but also food-related articles and, most of all, is not aimed only at housewives, but at foodies in general, regardless their profession, time spent in the kitchen or cooking skills. The other day, leafing through the Summer edition, I saw very tempting mini-tarts called “mirlitons”, checked if I had all the necessary ingredients and made them on the spot.

Mirlitons originate from Rouen, in the North of France and there are slim chances to find them in a “standard” pastry shop in a different region of France. The basic recipe calls for an almond and eggs filling with vanilla and orange flower water. The “Elle” recipe included some jam filling and it was the main reason why I have decided to try it. As a notorious food preserver I am in a constant search of other jam use ideas than a simple buttered toast, so they instantly caught my eye.

Mirlitons are quick, easy, have a very pleasant mixture of flavours and textures and are luscious even without vanilla or orange flower water. Thumbprint Hazelnut Cookies and Thumbrint Almond Cookies are other options to use leftover or surplus jam.

Note: These mirlitons shouldn’ t be mixed up with Mirlitons de Pont-Audemer. Shaped like cigars, they are another regional sweet specialty, but completely different and much more complicated to prepare. I hope I will manage to make these one day too…

Special equipment:

pastry cutter (mine had a 11 cm diameter)

tartlet moulds

Preparation: 1 hour

Ingredients (makes 12-14 mirlitons):

1 puff pastry sheet (230 g – 240 g)

100 g ground almonds

100 g caster sugar

2 eggs

(vanilla, orange flower water)

about 200 g thick jam or fruit butter

5 tablespoons thick cream

flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

With a pastry cutter cut out circles and place in the tartlet moulds.

Put a heaped teaspoon of jam in the centre of each tartlet case.

In a bowl combine the eggs, the sugar and the ground almonds. Add the cream and stir well.

Cover the tartlet cases with the almond mixture up to 3/4 of the height.

Sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

Serve warm or cold.

Published by Sissi

37 Replies to “Mirlitons de Rouen, or Almond Tartlets Filled with Jam”

  1. They look delightful. I love cooking, but I think I am much more of a baker — it’s probably my sweet tooth talking. I’m a huge fan of the almonds and the jam, a perfect morning pastry.

    1. Thank you, Clarkie! I love baking, but there is something I hate about it: remembering the exact proportions (here it is very easy, but in some cakes or biscuits it’s very complicated…).

  2. This does sound quick and easy and absolutely delicious. Instead of regular custard this one uses ground almond which sounds like a nice change. Almost tempted to say I will make this but my ‘to make’ list is growing. Glad to see you have found another way to use up that jam stockpile you have:)

    1. Thank you, Mr. Three-Cookies! Ground almonds filling stays soft, but not as soft as a custard and of course there is the almond taste 🙂 I understand very well what you mean by the growing list of recipes to make…

  4. Ohhhhh I want to eat these tartlets! It sounds easy by reading the directions but yours look really nice that intimidate me (here goes my paranoid about baking). I always love almond toppings (my favorite nuts of all). Blueberry filling sounds perfect to me!

    1. Nami, thanks for the kind comment! I think these cookies are so easy, you could make your children help you with most of the steps (I have already seen your son in action, so I have no doubts about their skills!).

  5. Hi Sissi, great looking little tartlets. They remind me a little of frangipanes, but with the jam in a different location. I could totally grab one of those right now… and I wish bakeries in France actually sold things like this from time to time instead of the goddamned “flan” and eclairs. (seriously, if I have to see another piece of French flan as long as I live I’ll flip out!).

    1. Thank you, Charles! You are right! The filling reminds me of frangipane too, but the jam adds an additional texture and a bit of tartness if you use the right jam 😉 I also hate flans, but I never go in France to the baker’s to buy cakes or biscuits, but to the pastry shop. Bakers have always limited choice. Unless it’s a baker’s and confectioner in one… On the other hand, when I go to Paris, I don’t even look at other pastry shops or confectioners; I go straight to Pierre Hermé’s, take his amazing macarons and forget the cakes and éclairs from the whole world 😉

  8. I adore almond and these little tartlets look so lovely and well sized. Fruit butter sounds delish, I’m imagining blackberry… yum! Gorgeous photo – just look at that golden top cooked to perfection. So inviting.

    1. Thank you, Kelly. I haven’t tried it with blackberries, but plum butter and raspberry jam were great with the almond filling.

  10. Another brilliant way for using up surplus jam…They look so pretty and would look so gorgeous on the party table….I love the little almond slices on top…just make it perfect.

    North of France seems to have a lot of yummy food too…So, now on my ‘Things to do’ list, I will have to add ‘learning about food from that region too’ – I have already added learning about veg japanese recipes 🙂

    On a different note, I thought of you when we were having stuffed ‘karela’ for lunch with chappati ….It is also called ‘bitter cucumber’. I will write to you about how to prepare it….packed with goodness though is a acquired taste ….

    Btw, how long would these little tartlets keep?

    -Shilpa

    1. Thank you, Shilpa! I think all the French regions have lots of delicacies to offer. Some are just less famous, like these mirlitons which I have never heard of before seeing them in Elle. O have heard so many times about the bitter cucumber, but never dared buying it. I would love to learn how to prepare it!
      Unfortunately these tartlets are not like ANZAC biscuits, so they will keep maybe three days? I can’t say how many days more, since we finished ours in two days and they were still very good. On the other hand they are best when still warm…

  11. Sissi, these tartlets look so good, I love the idea of almond and jams…great at anytime of the day.
    Hope you are having a wonderful week 🙂

  13. Oh, pretty! I’m always looking for new ideas to use jam in pastry (I don’t always love the results, but they seem to be a hit with large groups). These look delicious, though! Love to see your baking posts, too, although I must admit, my favorite are the COCKTAIL posts, haha. So inventive you are!

    1. Thank you, Laura! I am very glad to see you are interested in cocktails 😉 I think I usually prefer drinking a new cocktail than eating a new biscuit.

  17. YES, jam and nuts make good company. I noticed the amount of jam you used in these Sissi. It is just the right amount! Jam tarts filled up 3/4 way with jam, as most of them are, are overpoweringly sweet. These tartlets must be very good indeed. Is it not funny how we sometimes mirror each other’s explorations in the kitchen?

    1. I have forgotten about Mirlitons! They are much much better than my jam+pastry simle tartlets. The custard cream+almonds+jam create a bit more sophisticated tartlets… And especially if I use the plum thick jam which is slightly acid and almost doesn’t contain sugar.

    1. Thank you so much, A_Boleyn. You are too kind! Mirlitons are so simple (sometimes I make them without even looking at the ingredients’ amounts). Your maids of honour look gorgeous! (Moreoever, I like a lot the name “maids of honour”; it adds a certain elegance and some history to the tartlets…).

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