I thought that sharing was something that had to be taught to a child. But, it seems that my son may be the exception. At least when it comes to food. If you are lucky enough to be sitting in his vicinity he will more then likely offer you a piece of his slobber covered fare. His little fingers fling in your direction, pinching tightly his lovely prize, then he waves his hand in the air as if to tantalize you, grinning away as he waits patiently for you to take a bite. And, when you do, he flashes you a satisfied smile and then continues to happily munch away. But, not too much later his little hand will be waving again, waiting to share with you just how good his food tastes. I am not sure where he gets it from because I, on the other hand, am not so eager to share what is on my plate, especially when it tastes as good as this Bakewell Tart.
The June Daring Bakers‘ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800′s in England.
I must admit that I did not have high expectations for this tart. It did not appeal to me at all when I first read about it, although I was excited to make something a little more simple this time around. It just goes to show that you can’t always go with your initial reaction, especially when you haven’t actually tried it yet, because this was very good! The ground almonds add such a lovely texture and even a slight crunch. It is definitely not too sweet of a dessert, which I find very refreshing. There were even members of the household that had it for breakfast the next morning. It reminds me in a lot of ways of a butter tart, and I love butter tarts. This is something I would never have thought of to make, but I am so glad I did.
I chose to fill my tart with a Strawberry Maple Freezer Jam and topped it with Maple Whipcream. The jam itself is delicious. Because of the maple it may be a little more limited in it’s uses, but I love it spread on toast, in crepes, and basically anywhere that you would want maple syrup. The subtle maple flavor goes beautifully with this tart.
Bakewell Tart
* all recipes to follow
- 1 recipe sweet shortcrust pasty *
- 1 cup strawberry maple jam (or other) *
- 1 recipe frangipane *
- 1 handful sliced or slivered almonds
- 1 recipe maple whipcream
- Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface (if you think it is too cold you can let it sit out for up to 15 min. before rolling). Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry into a circle, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a 9 inch tart pan or shallow pie plate. Press in and trim off the excess dough. You can patch any tears with the leftover trimmings. Spread the jam into the bottom of the tart and place in the freezer for 15 min. ( You do not have to use the full cup of jam, just to do it by eye and to your taste.)
- Preheat oven to 400F. Remove the shell from the freezer and spread the frangipane gently over the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and bake for 25 min until the top is poofy and a light brown. Sprinkle the almonds over the surface and return to the oven for another 5 min, or until the crust is golden and the frangipane is nicely tanned and poofy. There will be a bit of a jiggle, as there is with a freshly baked cheesecake, but this will set up as it cools. Serve with a dollop of maple whipcream.
Serves: 8
* with the leftover dough you can make “cookies”. Just roll it out again and cut into cookie shapes or squares.
Strawberry Maple Freezer Jam
adapted from Kraft
- 1 3/4 cups strawberry puree
- 1 orange (peeled, sectioned, and finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 box pectin crystals (57g)
- Mix together strawberry, orange, lemon juice, syrup and sugar. Let sit for 10 min.
- Heat water and pectin in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil. Let boil 1 min. Remove from heat and add directly to fruit mixture. Stir for 3 min. until most of the sugar has dissolved.
- Put into desired containers, cover with lids and let sit at room temp. until set. (approx. 24 hours)
- Store in the fridge or freezer. (It will stay good in the fridge for one month)
Makes: 6 cups
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
- 225g flour
- 30g sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 110g unsalted butter, very cold (preferably frozen)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract, optional
- 1-2 Tbsp. cold water
- Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture, using the largest holes. Quickly rub the fat into the flour, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
- Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract in a separate bowl. Mix into flour mixture with a fork. Slowly add water, mixing as you go (You may need more, or less, just put enough water in for the dough to stick together).
- Form the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 min.
Makes enough for 1-9 inch tart
Frangipane
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g icing sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 125g ground almonds
- 30g flour
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Scraped down the bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter will appear to curdle. This is what is it is supposed to do so do not panic (even though it is hard not too). Add the almond extract and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down and with the beaters running spoon in the ground nuts and flour. Mix well. The mixture will still be slightly curdled looking, but that is mostly from the almonds.
Makes enough for 1- 9 inch tart
Maple Whipcream
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- Beat together until stiff peaks form.
Makes approx: 2 1/2 cups
