Summer’s eve elderflower and gooseberry frangipane tart

I once tried to buy elderflowers from a garden centre and was informed that ‘madam, elderflower is a weed, we do not sell weeds.’ This slightly embarrassing situation highlighted my lack of green fingers but you know what, I reckon many the home cook would love to use fresh elderflowers. Fresh gooseberries are also hard to come by, so here we make life simple; delivering summer through tinned fruit and cordial.

FOR THE PASTRY:

INGREDIENTS

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

50g icing sugar

125g butter, cold and cut into 1 cm cubes

1 large egg, beaten

FOR THE FILLING:

600g tinned gooseberries

3 tablespoons elderflower cordial

1 tablespoon icing sugar

FOR THE FRANGIPANE:

150g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

150g ground almonds

FOR THE ICING:

25ml elderflower cordial

50g icing sugar

METHOD

Make the pastry. Mix together the flour and icing sugar in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using clean hands, until you have a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add the egg and use a blunt knife to mix and pull the pastry together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the fruit filling by mashing the well-drained gooseberries with the elderflower cordial and icing sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Make the frangipane. Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer or wooden spoon until light and creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the ground almonds and set aside.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin and about 24 x 24 cm. Put both hands under the pastry, palm side up and fingers spread wide, and transfer to a 20 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press into the corners and run the rolling pin over the top, cutting off any excess. Patch up any tears then pour in the filling, levelling with the back of a spoon. Spoon in the frangipane so it touches the edges, and bake in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes until the frangipane is brown and the pastry is crisp.

Leave to cool on a wire rack whilst in the tin. Once cool, remove from the tin, mix the cordial and sugar and drizzle over the top.

IDEAS FOR GROUND ALMONDS

Add a tablespoon to creamy curries for a taste reminiscent of korma. Or substitute pine nuts for almonds for a thrifty version of homemade pesto that’s popular with kids.

#normalmum #elderflower #gooseberries #frangipane #tart #almond