I made this tart as an additional summer dessert to the traditional Christmas pudding. It was a great success because it made use of our seasonal berries in our Australian summer and easily cut into 12 serves. I replaced the raspberries for apricots when I made the tart for New Year’s Eve. You could replace these fruits with pears, plums, fresh dates, blueberries- this is really a tart for all seasons
Ingredients (for pastry sufficient to line 28-30cm flan tin)
450g plain flour
250 g unsalted butter
2 Tb caster sugar
pinch salt
2 medium egg yolks
3-4 Tb chilled water
Ingredients (for filling)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (or apricots, cut into quarters, stone removed)
Icing sugar
160 g unsalted butter
200 g caster sugar
3 eggs
250 g almond meal
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup plain flour
Method
1. To make pastry; rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add sugar and mix well. Make a well, then add yolks and most of the water. Use a knife to ‘cut in’ the pastry. Add only sufficient water until dough comes together into a ball; firm yet tender in texture. Chill in a refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
2. Roll the pastry to line a 30 cm flan tin. Chill in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
3. Preheat the oven (bottom heat: conventional or fan-forced) to 190 degrees C.
2. For filling; Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla essence.
4. Fold in the almond meal and flour and mix well so that all the ingredients are incorporated.
5. Spread frangipane cream evenly into pastry shell. Arrange fruit on top.
6. Place on tray on bottom shelf (if oven has bottom heat). Bake for 40-45 minutes until filling is set and golden.
7. Cool tart on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from flan tin. Dust with icing sugar.
NB. If your oven does not have bottom heat function, you may need to blind bake the pastry shell first prior to adding filling.