frangipane tart

Frangipane Tart, Caramelised Pears, Maple Syrup Mascarpone 

As featured in Market Harborough Magazinefrangipane tart

Serves 8 – 10whole frangipane tart

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 125g Soft Butter
  • 250g Plain Flour
  • 1 Medium Egg
  • 60g Caster Sugar
  • 10-11 inch fluted tart case

Filling

  • 250g Butter
  • 250g Caster Sugar
  • 4 Eggs Beaten
  • 180g Ground Almonds
  • 70g Plain Flour
  • 1 x Teaspoon Almond Flavouring
  • 300g Raspberry Jam
  • 30g Flaked Almonds

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°c or Gas 3.
  2. Rub flour and butter together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar and make a well in the middle of the mixture. Crack the egg into the well and need the mixture into a soft ball. (If the pastry has not combined together, add a sprinkle of water). Allow pastry to relax for 20 – 30 minutes in the fridge.
  3. Roll out the pastry onto a floured surface until 3-5mm thick and place into a pre greased tart case or line with grease proof paper ensuring the pastry lines the entire tin walls. Then leave in the fridge for 10 minutes to relax.
  4. Place grease proof paper on top of the pastry and either using baking beans or rice, bake the pastry case blind for 10-15 minutes until part cooked. Allow pastry case to cool.
  5. For the filling, cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale in colour and mix the beaten eggs into the butter and sugar mixture.
  6. Sieve the flour into the mixture and fold together.
  7. Fold in the ground almonds and almond flavouring.
  8. Spread 250g of the jam over the base of the pastry leaving 50 grams to one side and cover with the mixture to form a smooth top.
  9. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
  10. Increase the temperature of the oven to gas mark 4 or 180°c and place tart in to cook for approximately 20 -25 minutes until golden brown. Check the middle is cooked by placing a sharp knife into the middle. If it comes out clean then the tart is cooked.
  11. When cooked leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile melt the jam in the microwave with a touch of water until runny. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the tart with the jam to give a shiny finish. Remove the tart from the case and slice into portions.
  12. Serve with either your choice of ice cream, custard or cream. In the picture we have chosen to serve this with maple syrup mascarpone and caramelised pears.

Wine Choice

A dessert wine to accompany this dish would be Biegler Muller’s Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese from Germany. This particular wine shows intense aromas and flavours of stone fruits, apricots, orange marmalade, grilled fruits and honey plus some delightfully savoury hints. It is intensely sweet yet the high acidity and relatively low alcohol (10% abv) make this a seductively refreshing wine to cut through the richness of the frangipane. Again this wine is available from Duncan Murray Wines on Adam & Eve Street.