Another variation of these is the Apple and Blackberry Frangipane tarts – both are delicious and you can use the same basic pastry and frangipane recipe and try other combinations with whatever fruits you have available.

Makes 6 individual tarts or one large  |  30 mins prep plus 30 mins cooking

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

• 225g plain flour
• 110g cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1tbsp water

Frangipane

• 100g soft butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten, plus 1 egg yolk
• 110g ground almonds
• 25g plain flour
• 1 tbsp Chambord, black raspberry liqueur (or similar)
• 4 large, ripe plums
• Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top

You will also need…

• 6 x 10cm loose bottomed, fluted tart tins or one 23 cm, greased with butter
• baking parchment
• baking beans

Method

1. Start by making the pastry. In a food processor, blitz the flour and cubed butter for a minute or so until it looks like breadcrumbs. Pour this into a bowl and use a fork to mix in the egg beaten with water until it starts to come together, then use your hands to bring it all together into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 15 mins or so.
2. Get on with making the frangipane now. Cream the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and then the egg, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds and flour and finally, add the liqueur.
3. Take the pastry from the fridge, put a dusting of flour on your worktop and, if making individual tarts, divide the pastry into six and roll out each piece until it’s nice and thin and large enough to line the pastry case with an overhang of about 1cm. Don’t trim the pastry until after it’s been blind-baked.
4. Prick the pastry in each case with a fork, place some baking parchment in and fill with baking beans, then bake in the oven at 180ºc for 15 mins.
5. Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and beans and trim the pastry with a knife.
6. 3/4 fill each pastry case with the frangipane, and, using a spoon or a small palette knife, spread it evenly and level the top.
   

   
7. Cut each plum into about 8 slices and lay these on top of the frangipane, sprinkling each with demerara sugar before putting all the tarts back into the oven for 10-12 mins at 180ºc, then lower the temperature to 160ºc and cook for a further 12 mins until the frangipane is cooked.
8. Serve with vanilla cream and if you like, some toffee sauce.