Don’t be scared off by the word Frangipane; what it is is just a filling flavoured with ground almonds or almond meal. Sometimes when I look at recipes of fancy pastries and cakes I’d get intimidated when alien words like Crème Chantilly (whipped cream flavoured with sugar and vanilla) or Zabaglione (light custard) pop up . I don’t know why pâtisseries decided to invent such terminologies. Anyways, this is a jam and frangipane tart that will put a pleasant end to any meal. You can always substitute the blueberry jam with any other flavours or even some fresh fruit that’s in season. Mine turned out much runnier than expected; the frangipane is supposed to turn out like sponge cakes. I think it was because the ratio of butter and almond meal (in the recipe that I used) was not 1:1; so I did some research and fixed that in the recipe below. Fingers (and toes) crossed!

Blueberry Jam and Frangipane Tart:

1. Pie Crust = [125g frozen, unsalted butter, chopped + 250g all purpose flour + 1 teaspoon salt + 2 to 3 tablespoon iced water (if needed) ]

2. Frangipane = [ 150g caster sugar + 150g unsalted butter + 150g almond meal + 1 tablespoon flour + 1 egg + 1 teaspoon vanilla essence + zest of half an orange ]

3. Blueberry Jam [ OPTIONAL: + juice of a quarter of an orange ]

To make the pie crust: add the flour, salt and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add water (if needed) until the dough comes together.

Wrap in cling wrap, then rest in the fridge for a minimum time of 30 minutes

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry until 3-4mm thick.

Line the tart tin with pastry. Poke some holes for vent using a fork.

Then line the pastry with foil, fill with baking beans or pastry weights and bake blind for 15 mins until firm. Carefully remove the foil and beans and bake for a further 5 mins until the pastry base is dry and lightly golden. Allow to cool.

To make frangipane: Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg then fold in almond meal, orange zest and vanilla. Chill the mixture.

Assembly: Get the pie crust that has been cooled down, the frangipane mixture and the jam.

Spread the cooled pastry base with the berry jam and spoon dollops of frangipane on top. Then spread another layer of berry jam and then lastly the rest of the frangipane. Spread the frangipane layer evenly.

Bake at 160ºC for 20 to 25 mins or until lightly golden and firm. Serve warm or cold.

I served mine with some yoghurt but feel free to serve it on its own or with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!