bakewell tart

Ingredients: almonds, apricots, peaches, eggs, almond essence, flour, butter, sugar, salt

This is a pretty traditional bakewell tart, with home made peach jam at the bottom and home made apricot jam on the top of the filling. There are almonds throughout the tart: the biscuit base, frangipane filling and apricot topping.

Shortcrumb base (pate brisee): Grind a 100 g packet of almond flakes to a fine powder and mix with sugar and flour to taste, then add a pinch of salt. Mix with 100 g of cold butter, cut into small cubes until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add an egg yolk and 1 tbsp of cold water and turn out into a bowl. Mix into a ball, wrap with clingfilm and refrigerate.

Apricot/Peach Jam: Slice 6-8 apricots/peaches in half and take out the pips. Add a cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of water and slowly bring to a boil. Cook at a rollling boil until jam is formed, about 15-20 mins. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon, both to stop the jam from burning, and to release the pectin. Put in a clean jar and use in cakes, on pancakes or on toast.

Frangipane filling: Grind 1/2 a packet of almond flakes to a fine powder. Mix 1 egg, 60 g of butter, 60 g of icing sugar in a bowl/mixer and add the ground almonds and a few drops of almond essence

Bake the base blind in a moderate hot oven until it stats to colour, then put down a generous layer of peach jam, followed by the frangipane.

Cook at 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit until the centre is dry.

When cooled, spread with a thin layer of apricot jam and scatter the remainder of the almond flakes, which had been lightly browned in a dry frying pan, followed by a sprinkling of icing sugar.