Desserts

Recette facile.  Superbe avec les poires, mais egalement les abricots, pruneaux, cerises, pommes, ou les framboises.

• 1 quantité de pate sucrée / sweet pastry
• Fruits, par exemple 4-5 poires, 3-4 pommes.  Pour les poires et les pommes, les éplucher, couper en deux, saupoudrer de sucre et carameliser à la poêle avec une noix de beurre pendant 10 minutes.
• Fruits ie 4-5 small pears, 3-4 apples, raspberries, prunes, apricots, whatever’s available.  If using apples/ pears, peel, cut in half, roll in sugar and caramelise in a frying pan with a knob of butter.
• Moule tarte 25cm / 25 cm tart tin
• ‘Frangipane’ facile/ Easy frangipane -

1. 2 x oeufs / eggs
2. 100g beurre / butter
3. 175g sucre / sugar
4. 40g farine/ flour
5. 180g amandes en poudre / ground almonds
6. 90ml de creme fraiche ou de creme liquide / creme fraiche or pouring cream
7. 2 cuil. à soupe d’Amaretto/ 2 tbsp amaretto
8. 1 c.à café de cannelle (facultatif) / 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
9. zeste d’un citron rapé (facultatif) / grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

• Cuisson à blanc de la pate sucrée / Bake the pastry blind.
• Melangez les oeufs, le beurre et le sucre avec un batteur electrique pendant 2 minutes.  Rajoutez tous les autres ingredients et melangez pendant 3 minutes.  Etalez sur la pâte frangipane au fond et posez les fruits dessus en appuyant legerement.
• Beat together the eggs, butter and sugar for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add all the other ingredients and mix for 3 minutes.  Spread over the base and place the fruits on top, pressing lightly.
• Mettez dans un four prechauffé à 170℃ pendant 30-40 minutes.  Bake in a preheated oven at 170℃ for 30-40 minutes.

This recipe uses ‘Sweet shortcrust pastry’
(see this link)

Line a 18inch shallow pie tin with a layer of butter.

Roll out your pastry to around 0.75 cm thick and line the base of the dish, leaving the excess pastry for now.

Make 20-30 small holes through the bottom of the pastry to the tin to allow steam to escape and set the tin aside in the fridge.

Chop, stone and prepare your fruit.

For extra deliciousness a syrup could be made from some of the fruit, reduced and poured over the tart. This can also be flavoured with alcohol such as maderia wine or port.

Add the chopped fruit to the pie as neatly as possible & cover with your syrup or with a little honey.

sprinkle some brown sugar and some small pieces of butter on the top

trim the excess pastry

cook in a preheated oven, gas mark 6-7, 180deg for around 40 mins until the pastry is done.

If required, grill the top of the tart for a few minutes to caramelise the sugar and give it a deeper flavour.