31 December 2013

BLUEBERRY & NECTARINE TART FOR NEW YEAR

Happy New Year and here's a wonderful tart to serve over the new year holidays. This tart is at its best when served warm with whipped cream or yogurt and will work equally well with ripe peaches or nectarines. Blueberry and nectarine frangipane tart

• 75g butter, softened
• 75g sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp pure vanilla
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsps flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 4 nectarines, stoned and sliced
• 1 punnet blueberries
• 3 tbsps icing sugar

For the shortcrust pastry 250g flour * 180g butter, ice cold * 1 tablespoon caster sugar * 1 egg yolk * 1 tablespoon water

To make the pastry case, put the flour, butter and sugar in the food processor and pulse together to combine. Add the egg yolk and water and mix briefly until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Turn out on to the bench and knead together to form a ball. Chill for about 20 minutes. To bake, roll the pastry out on a floured bench, and line a 24-26cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Rest the pastry shell for at least 20 minutes before filling and baking.

Preheat the oven to 190˚C. To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs slowly, add the vanilla and lemon juice, and fold in the flour and almonds. Cover the pastry shell with the sliced peaches and blueberries.

Spoon the almond frangipane mixture over the fruit, evenly. Bake on a preheated baking sheet for 10 minutes, and reduce the temperature to 180˚C. Bake a further 15 minutes until the frangipane feels firm to the touch. Take from the oven, sprinkle the icing sugar over and finish in the oven for 10 minutes so the top browns nicely.

Serve warm or cold with blueberry ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 6-8.