Strawberry and Almond Tart

A dessert for the summer months in bygone days, but now we have the fruit all year round and it is a taste of the sun for now, when we need cheering up in these unprecedented times. Very easy to make, especially if you buy some ready made shortcrust pastry. 

I did not use my crumbly rich shortcrust, but made a simple shortcrust of half cold butter to plain flour [6 oz], along with a tablespoonful of icing sugar and binding with a medium egg and perhaps a few drops of cold water if needed. Chill for a short time before use.

Roll out the pastry and line a [metal preferably] 8 or 9 inch fluted, loose bottomed flan tin with the pastry, prick the base lightly with a fork and cover with some crumpled parchment then fill with baking beans. 

Bake in your pre heated fan oven, 180C for 15 mins. Take the beans and parchment out and return to the oven for another 5 mins.

Meanwhile…. so easy….

About 1lb of strawberries

4 egg yolks

2 oz white breadcrumbs

5 oz ground almonds

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

4 oz caster sugar

2 oz melted butter

Put 8 oz of the fruit in a food processor or mash until liquid. Force through a sieve and place this and the rest of the ingredients into a large jug and mix well.  Taste for sweetness at this stage, you might need a tad more sugar. Add the remaining whole strawberries [I halved these as they were quite large] Then tip into your part baked pastry case.

Bake for about 20-25 mins until the filling is firm and the pastry nicely golden.

Cool for a while and set, then slide onto a wire rack.

Serve with lashings of clotted cream for a scrummy dessert after a leisurely Sunday roast.

Notes: if assorted size fruit, keep the evenly small ones whole, and blitz the larger ones.

If using a food processor, as I do, make the pastry, wipe a little, then whizz the bread for crumbs, then blitz the strawberries. No need to clean in between. Easy peasy.

My son in law describes this as a strawberry flavoured frangipani!! Which of course is what it is!