Ella Fitzgerald at Christmas Album
High Days and Holidays..don't you just love them? I know I do especially when it means spending time with the ones I love...cooking and caring for them. The laughter shared and the ease of being with people who accept you and love you in return....and getting to eat tarts like this one..lol. Once again it's the creation of Anon but I can't thank this person enough.
Last night was our Christmas gathering of the close circle of friends. We did everything we do each year...we hugged, we caught up, we ate, we drank (sublime Rose vegan wine..) and we were spoilt with beautiful custom made crackers made by Dev (Guest Host). Mine held a beautiful snowflake imprint for cookies and pastry and some Booja Booja Raspberry Truffles and was decorated by a beautiful Christmas tree decoration. Dev blew us away with her creations. We played an 80's Music game and I won! Woo! lol. Then it was dessert time....
When I was putting together the menu for this years gathering I wanted to resist the usual heavy Christmas pudding and the like. So I decided upon Chocolate Dipped Clementines, Raw Chocolate Fudgy Tartlets and this Berry & Almond Tart. It's been years since I enjoyed a piece of Frangipane and I was really feeling the need after reading this recipe. So the decision was easy in the end...and why three desserts...well I like to give my guests a choice, it's all about spoiling them and showing them how much they mean to me. They are worth the effort...always.
I made the tart the day before the gathering and I used ready-made pastry which I feel no shame over...I needed to make this one simple fix this year. No apologies folks. My rectangle tart tin was slightly bigger than the recipe called for so I ended up making up another half batch of the almond filling. I enjoyed the making of this tart and it was the work of minutes. In 10 minutes it was safely baking in my oven and by the time Ann had turned up to help me, the smell of baking almonds was a distracting aroma. At the end of the baking the smell of the cooked down berries had added to this and mouthwatering doesn't even begin to describe it. We gazed at the finished tart and Ooohed and Awwwed and then set it far away to cool...lol.
The results were so delicious that the table was silent whilst we tried our first mouthfuls. The pastry was thin but enough to enjoy the rare treat, the berries were oozing with juice and the almond filling was decadent and moreish. The perfect High Day and Holiday dessert...and yes I will make this whenever I have the excuse with many different fruit options.
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| Berry and Almond Tart |
Berry and Almond Tart Serves 8-10
150g ground almonds
50g vegan butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
125ml water
100g golden caster sugar
200g ready made shortcrust pastry or home made (vegan naturally)
handful of fresh strawberries
handful of fresh raspberries
handful of fresh blueberries
Preheat the oven to 180'c/350'f/GM 4. Line with parchment paper a rectangle loose bottomed tart tin. Approx 13x4. Set to one side.
Roll out the pastry and then fit into the tin and trim the excess by rolling your pin over the tin and cutting off the edges. Set to one side.
Melt the vegan butter and then add it to a bowl with the water, lemon juice and extracts and whisk to thoroughly combine. Place the almonds and sugar into a blender and then add the wet ingredients and then blend until the filling is smooth.
Pour the filling into the tart tin and then level off. Take the fresh berries and push them down into the almond filling in whatever design you like. Then place in the hot oven and bake for 40 minutes.
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| Gratuitous foodie shot. I just wish you could smell it...lol |
Leave to cool in the tin or remove after 10 minutes to eat warm. We ate ours at room temp and it was perfect.
Serve and enjoy!
~Red~
NB: This is not my creation and therefore take no credit whatsoever for its creation. That is the hard work of some other talented cook and I can't thank them enough for it. If you recognise this then please let me know and I will happily update this post and give credit where it's due. ~R~
