Cherry Macaroon Tarts

A traditional English bakewell tart consists of a sweet short crust spread with a thin layer of jam and crowned by a spongy egg-butter-almond topping. The macaroon topping in this somewhat simplified version is based on a mincemeat tart recipe in an old British cookbook of my mom’s. You can use any jam you have on hand, but cherries work especially well here. And instead of the jam, of course, chunky, dark mincemeat would be delicious, as would a smooth layer of tangy lemon curd.