Recipe: Blackberry Frangipane Tart, Crème Fraîche
WORDS BY CAROLINE GLADSTONE
There is nothing that signals the beckoning approach of autumn like bramble bushes laden with sweet juicy blackberries. It is a time of year that I love, the colours, the smells, the days drawing in, dewy cobwebs on an early morning walk. This recipe is one of my favourites as it seems to sum up autumn.
Blackberry frangipane tart, crème fraîche (serves 8-10)
500g shortcrust pastry
plain flour, for dusting
500g fresh or frozen blackberries
For the cardamom frangipane
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
140g ground almonds
100g self-raising flour
50g toasted flaked almond, plus a few extra for sprinkling
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 large eggs
crème fraiche, to serve
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s big enough to line a 23cm round tart tin. (You can use shop bought pastry or but make your own if you can. The effort is worth it!) Carefully lift the pastry into the tin, leaving any extra hanging over the sides. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, sit the tin on a baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Heat the oven to 180˚C. Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans to the top. Put the case in the oven and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 10 minutes until the pastry is biscuity. Trim the pastry edges and leave to cool. Turn down the oven to 160˚C.
To make the cardamom frangipane, beat all the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Dollop onto the cooled pastry base in spoonfuls and spread evenly, pushing the filling into the edges. Dot the blackberries onto the frangipane in concentric circles, pushing them gently in. Scatter with a few more flaked almonds over the top and bake for 50 minutes until the filling is risen, golden and firm to the touch.
Serve warm or cold, with crème fraiche.
