Cookbook Friday: Bambury Tarts

Now that my rising stardom has plummeted violently back to earth, I'll be better able to concentrate on doing what I do best: boring you with family recipes.  So, here’s another picture of my great aunt Dava [Barbaresi] Catone on the far right with her husband Joe.  My grandmother and grandfather, Dora [Barbaresi] and Albert Donroe, are third and fourth from the left.  This picture was taken at some point, someplace, with some other people.  How’s that for documenting history?

Bambury tarts are another cookie from Dava’s famous cookie trays, and one that presents particularly well for the holidays.  I believe these are a riff on Banbury tarts, the English tea pastry filled with lemony mincemeat, but for which other fillings have evolved over the years and oceans.  Here, it’s raspberry jam nestled in a nest of shredded coconut.  Bambury may, in fact, be a misspelling, but I’m keeping it because American recipes often reflect an evolution of ingredients, techniques, and interpretations.  In this game of Telephone we call life, it’s only fun when the end result is different than what you initially started with. 

Bambury Tarts

It was funny to watch the Toddler try to suck the jelly out of the middle of these, until he realized that the cookie part isn’t half bad, either.

1 cup margarine (or butter)
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup shredded coconut, packed
¼ cup red raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Cream margarine and sugar.  Add egg yolks and vanilla, and blend well.  Mix in flour until just combined.  Form into small balls.  Dip in slightly beaten egg whites, and roll in coconut.  Bake 5 minutes and remove from oven.  With a knuckle, nudge a small dent into the center of each cookie (yes, it’s hot; don’t be a wuss).  Spoon a dollop of jam into each well and bake another 15 minutes.  Cool.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Dava [Barbaresi] Catone
New Haven, Connecticut - Hamden, Connecticut
1921 - 1998

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Comments

[bri]

I *love* thumb print cookies, and I love coconut...so...it looks like you've given me the perfect recipe for those two taste sensations! I will have to make these. Thanks for the inspiration! I have some amazing fig orange jam that is just begging to be used in this cookie. I love the idea of the toddler sucking out the jam, only to discover the vessel wasn't half bad. I followed your link and read about your tragic cutting room floor fate. I promise to continue to eat locally, even though your piece won't air. Keep up the good work!

[Anh]

Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful family recipe with us. :)

[Tammy]

Welcome, Bri and Anh. They're yummy.

[Maggie]

I made this today. So yummy! I will post some photos on my web site. Thanks!

[Courtney Sears]

I made these for a potluck today and they were great! I also made a few modified cookies for the three one year olds who were there. For them, I skipped the coconut (it would stay in their mouths for hours) and used blueberry applesauce instead of the jam to avoid the seeds. They were a hit! Thanks for the recipe.

[Sarah]

Ok, so I know you posted this recipe ages ago, but I made these cookies for my roommates last night and they were fantastic. A tiny bit too crumbly, so next time I think I'll mix the dough more thoroughly before forming it into balls, but still delicious. Thanks!