Sticking with my love of The British Baking Show, here is a tasty tart I made during my week of vacation last week. I used one of my new favorites, Mary Berry’s recipe for a Bakewell Tart. This pastry has a basic vanilla tart crust with a small hit of fruit preserves in the bottom with a sweet almond and sugar frangipane filling and topped with slivered almonds and a sweet icing drizzle. Enjoy!

Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart

For one  9″ tart

Ingredients

Tart Shell

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• one stick butter
• (1½ tsp sugar -my addition)
• 4 to 5 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling

• 3 to 4 tbsp raspberry jam, or any other flavor (I had strawberry seedless on hand, YUM!)
• 1½ stick butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup ground almonds
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp. almond extract
• ½ cup (3 oz bag) flaked almonds

Icing

• ⅔ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F

PASTRY-

• Place the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then the water and mix gently to make a soft dough.
  • (Food processer does just as well. I have used both in the past and a food processer is awesome! Pulse/combine until crumbly and sticks together. Do not combine until it forms one big ball. It will not make for a good flaky crust)
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, then line a 9″in tart tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Using a fork, press the tines into the bottom and sides of the pastry in the tin, then bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked, but not completely (it’s going back in the oven.) Remove and set aside.

FILLING-

• Spread the jam on the bottom of the crust then make the frangipane filling.
• Melt the butter in a pot, remove from heat and stir in the sugar, ground almonds, egg and almond extract. Pour the mixture over the jam and sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
• Bake for about 35 minutes. If the almonds begin to brown too quickly, cover the tart loosely with aluminum foil.

ICING-

• Place the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Stir in cold water or milk. Using a knife or spoon and drizzle the icing all over the cooled tart (make sure it isn’t warm or the icing will not look as pretty as it should.) Allow the icing to set before serving.

Cut into slices and enjoy! 

( To be honest I was baking a few desserts the day I made this and I absolutely forgot the icing. It was still a pretty and delicious dessert. Enjoy )

(adapted from http://christinascucina.com)