Serve warm from the oven. Cheat and make these moreish almondy tarts with ready made pastry, don’t tell your friends and they won’t guess.
Serves 6
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-41 minutes
Ingredients:
- 400 g (14 oz) chilled sweet short crust pastry
- Little plain flour for dusting
- 100 g (4 oz) butter, at room temperature
- 100 g (4 oz) caster sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 100 g (4 oz) ground almonds
- Few drops almond essence
- 125 g (41/2 oz) blueberries
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
- Little sifted icing sugar to decorate, optional
Method:
- Lightly butter 6 x 10 cm (4 inch) loose bottomed fluted tart tins.
- Roll out pastry thinly on a surface lightly dusted with flour, arrange 5 tart tins on top, cut out the pastry a little larger than the tins then press into the tins and up the sides, trim the top of the pastry a little above the top of the tins.
- Re-roll trimmings and make a 6th tart case.
- Prick the bases with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas Mark 5.
- Line the tart cases with pieces of greaseproof or non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans or use dried macaroni or other small pasta shapes.
- Bake for 10 minutes, carefully remove the paper and beans and cook the empty tarts for 5-6 minutes until just beginning to brown around the edges.
To make the filling:
- Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, gradually beat in the eggs then stir in the ground almonds and almond essence.
- Divide between the tart cases, spread into an even layer then sprinkle with the blueberries and flaked almonds.
- Bake at 180oC/350oF/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Leave to cool for 20 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Remove from the tart tins and dust with sifted icing sugar, if liked.
- Serve with spoonfuls of crème fraiche.
Recipe and photo credits- Seasonal Berries