Overview:
By: Antonia
Meal Type: Dessert
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Description:
A classic British dessert with a slight twist – as well as the traditional layer of jam, this has a handful of fresh raspberries baked into the frangipane which makes it a little bit special.
I’ve given a recipe for a sweet pastry – it is delicious but quite sticky. Use plenty of flour when rolling out and don’t worry if it tears – you can patch it up with excess pastry and it won’t show in the finished tart. If you are short of time, use a ready-made shop-bought pastry – these are very good and no one will know.
When baking pastry tarts in the Aga, there is no need to ‘blind bake’ the pastry case – a real time-saver.
You'll need...
Ingredients:
Equipment...
- An 8.5 inch/22cm loose-bottomed tart tin
- A rolling pin
- A food processor
- A cold plain shelf
Method:
-
First make the pastry. Rub together the butter and flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (you can do this in a food processor). Stir in the sugar and then bring the mixture together with the beaten egg – if using a processor, pulse briefly until the mixture begins to come together and then tip our and use your hands to gently press the dough together. Take care not to over-work. Wrap the pastry with clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.
-
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin and line an 8.5 inch/22cm tart tin. This pastry is sticky and quite hard to work with – don’t worry if it tears as you transfer it to the tin as you can easily patch it up with excess pastry. Trim the overhanging pastry and return to the fridge for 20 minutes.
-
Make the frangipane: cream together the sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the ground almonds and almond extract. Mix everything together until you have a smooth batter.
-
Take the tart tin out of the fridge and prick the base a few times with a fork. Spread the jam over the base of the tart and top with the almondy batter. Smooth the surface and then push the raspberries into the filling in a circular pattern so that they show at the top.
-
Bake the tart on the floor of the roasting oven for approximately 30 minutes – check after 20 minutes and slide the cold plain shelf onto the second runner if the tart is already bronzed. The tart is ready when the filling is golden brown and just firm – a slight wobble in the centre is normal as the tart will firm up further as it cools.
-
Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tin and serving whilst warm, rather than hot. You can also serve the tart cold.
Aga range cooker tips:
- There is no need to ‘blind bake’ pastry in Aga range cookers. By cooking the tart on the floor of the roasting oven, the pastry cooks from the bottom at the same time as the filling. Not a soggy bottom in sight!
- A pizza paddle comes in extremely handy for removing tarts from the floor of the roasting oven – simply slide underneath the tin and lift. Highly recommended!
- If you have a modern electric cooker such as a 'Total Control' or our own eCOOK/electrikit, you will need to place a grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven as you cannot cook directly on the floor of these ovens.
- If you want to make a more traditional Bakewell tart, omit the raspberries and sprinkle the top with flaked almonds. You can also drizzle the top with a little glacé icing.
This fun family recipe has been scribed and tested by community member Antonia, who is a hard working mum with two boys. Her recipes are trialed in her much loved Aga range cooker and devoured by her family, allowing Antonia to provide accurate tips and advice on how to make the dishes a success! Go check her work out! She is a country girl, happily surrounded by an excitable Lab, her dear husband, two boys and the Cotswolds.
< back to our 'Recipes with instructions for Aga range cookers' homepage.