Medieval Jammie Dodgers (Fruit Tarts)

This was another dry run for our Game of Thrones feast, with a recipe loosely based on the one in A Feast of Ice and Fire. It was too sweet for my taste, though met with approval from another tester. Personally, I would remove all of the honey in the recipe in future.

Ingredients
Makes about 15 small tarts
For the "medieval sweet dough":
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cup water

For the topping:

~150 ml sweet red wine (e.g. Shiraz)
1/3 cup honey (optional; see advisory statement above)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or substitute 1.5 Tbsp of red wine and 1.5 Tbsp of white vinegar)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp chopped prunes
2 Tbsp currants
2 Tbsp raisins
4 Tbsp dates

Procedure

For the dough:

Boil the water and cloves together over high heat, then strain & pour the water into a cup. Stick it in the freezer for a few minutes until it gets cold. Meanwhile, combine the other ingredients. When the clove water is chilled, start pouring it into the flour mixture slowly, mixing it in with your hand until it's wet enough to have the consistency of a dough, but not so wet that it's too hard to work with.

Roll out the dough until it's about 1/8" thick and use the top of a jar or a cookie cutter to cut it into approximately 2" diameter circles. Set aside for now.

For the topping:

Bring the the wine, honey, and vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and skim off any foam that comes to the top. Add in all of the other ingredients and simmer until the liquid forms a thick syrup (should reduce to about half its original volume).

TAAAAARTS:
Heat oil in a skillet over high heat (about 1/8" deep in the pan). Prepare a plate with a paper towel on it. Reduce heat to low and gently place the tarts, one at a time, in the oil, frying until the dough forms a crispy, lightly golden cracker. Place each tart on the paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Top with the fruits and syrup and serve hot.