Raspberry Frangipane Tart

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

This fruit and almond tart is always a big hit, here at home and among our guests. In Autumn and Winter I change it to plums, while at this time of year it works brilliantly with raspberries, blueberries or juicy peaches, nectarines and apricots.
Using our recipe for the base, with icing sugar and very cold butter, gives you melt-in-the-mouth pastry. Blind baking too is key, to make sure this tart avoids the Mary Berry cardinal sin of a “soggy bottom” ;-)
Hope you enjoy!

Pastry:
180g flour
2tbsp icing sugar
100g very cold butter, cut into cubes
1 lightly beaten egg
2 tbsp of raspberry or apricot jam

Filling:
120g butter, room temperature
120g caster sugar
2 large eggs
120g ground almonds
zest of 1 lemon
large punnet of raspberries or 10 plums
icing sugar to decorate

23cm fluted loose bottom quiche tin

1. Preheat oven 180C fan, Gas 6. Butter the tart tin.
2. I use a food processor for the pastry as the less hand contact the better the finish. Put the flour, icing sugar & butter in food processor and blitz until combined. Carefully add the beaten egg until the mix just comes together. Empty contents onto a floured worktop and gently knead for a few seconds. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
3. When chilled, remove and roll out, then line the prepared tin. Place sheet of baking parchment over pastry and fill with baking beans or dried pulses (see photo above). Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins then carefully remove the paper & beans, baking for a further 5-10 Minutes until base is light in colour but crisp. Remove from oven and brush the base with warmed raspberry or apricot jam.
4. To make the Frangipane filling, cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the ground almonds & lemon zest, then fold into the mixture.
5. Spread the filling over the pastry base and stud the filling with raspberries (or thinly sliced plums/apricots, etc you may be using instead). If using plums, I like to overlap them slightly in a circle around the whole of tart top.
6. Return tart to oven and bake for a further 30-35 minutes until golden and springy. You can glaze the top while still warm with some apricot jam, to give the tart a lovely glossy finish (see photo).
7. Cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream or creme fraiche.