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1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a pastry brush and the 2 tablespoons of softened butter, coat the inside surfaces of 2 medium-sized 12-cup muffin tins (each cup should be about 2½ inches across at the top).
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2. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the flour into the tins, tipping them to coat the bottoms and sides of the cups evenly. Then invert the tins and rap them sharply on a table to remove the excess flour.
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3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the short-crust pastry into a circle about ¼ inch thick, and with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut it into 3-inch rounds. Gather the scraps together into a ball, roll it out into another circle, and cut out rounds as before.
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4. Gently fit the rounds into the cups of the muffin tins, pushing the pastry firmly into the sides. The pastry shells will be about 1 inch deep, and will not fill the cups completely.
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5. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk to break them up. Then beat in the sugar, almonds, lemon peel and the remaining tablespoon of flour.
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6. Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is smooth. Ladle about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each of the pastry shells, filling them to within 1/8 inch of the top.
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7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is a light golden brown. Carefully remove the tarts from the tins and cool them to room temperature on cake racks. Maids of honor are traditionally served at afternoon tea.
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NOTE:
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In some parts of England, jam or bread crumbs are added to the filling, and it is not uncommon to find the tarts topped with two crossed strips of the pastry.
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