Rich Almond Tart

How can we ever forget Ben O'Donoghue's Beaut Brownies? The very first recipe I have tried from delicious magazine a little while back. Here's the link. A visit to that very post makes me crave chocolate, just one slice please!

Ever since then, my delicious magazine never stopped coming. And that was because my dear husband ended up subscribing them for me. And it turned out to be a sweet deal for him, don't you think?

The August 2010 issue of delicious magazine is full of inspiration. I have pages after pages, dog-eared, a promising sign of delivery from my kitchen. And this is one of them:



Rich Almond Tart with Drunken Strawberries
by Belinda Jeffery.

And it is so very good I have to share it with you. I love a dessert with ground almonds, actually I love anything with a nutty, earthy aroma, a crunch that melts in your mouth. It is just one of the many desserts that I love, really, judging from what I have written in this blog if you have followed me right from the start!

OK. Delicious magazine is doing much damage, things are going pear-shaped, quite literally. I really need it to stop coming. But I want it never to stop! Gaahhh....

It sort of reminds me of a frangipane tart. And yet it's not really a tart for there's no pastry to make (phew!).

"It's not really a tart, or even a cake for that matter, but sits somewhere in the middle."

It really is easy to make, as promised. And incredibly, dangerously moreish.

Alright, so here's the recipe.

150g castor sugar (reduced from 220g)
7 egg yolks
3/4 tsp almond essence
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50g plain flour
200g almond meal
225g chilled unsalted butter, cubed

Drunken strawberries* and whipped cream to serve, if preferred.

*Strawberries marinated in strawberry liquer or Grand Marnier, or Cointreau, or anything that tickles your fancy.



Grease a 25cm loose bottomed tart pan and line the base with greased baking paper. (I used a 27cm pie dish which works out well too)

In a bowl, whisk 6 egg yolks with almond essence and vanilla.

Place flour, ground almonds and sugar in a food processor and whiz until combined. With the motor running, pour in yolk mixture and whiz until it starts to form a paste.

Add butter and whiz again, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until thick and creamy.

Pour batter into the prepared tart pan and level the surface with a palette knife. Chill for 5-10 minutes until the top is slightly firm. Beat the remaining yolk and brush it over the chilled tart. Chill for a further 5 minutes.



Use a fork to mark long squiggles on top of the tart. Place on baking tray and bake for 12 minutes at 190 degrees Celcius. Reduce heat to 16o degrees and bake for a further 20-30 minutes until golden and just set on top.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing, and then cool completely.

I would serve mine with some drunken strawberries, except that they are not at their peak in winter, and any strawberries in this household doesn't last long enough for them to be dangerously covered in alcohol. Plus, we don't want Lucas to want "some"' "some", "some, please mummy" of the drunken berries.

I prefer mine with a little crunch. Pop a slice under the grill for a couple of minutes and you'll have it toasty, and serve with a little orange blossom cream.

Just wonderful.