Little Frangipane Tarts

If you can get hold of these little ready made pastry cases, these tarts make such a special and quick dessert. I have bought them in our local garden centre farm shop and also in the food hall in Fenwicks. The pastry cases I buy are quite shallow, so the mix below make 9 tarts. They are delicious warm from the oven but equally as nice when cold. The recipe is from 'Jamie's 30 minute meals'. I have done them time and time again, but obviously not for a while now. Long overdue I think. 

Ingredients 
Serve 6
6 small deep short crust pastry cases
1 egg
100g ground almonds
100g softened butter
90g golden caster sugar
1 orange
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract
good quality raspberry jam
tub of creme fraiche to serve 




Method
Heat the oven to 190ºC
Put the 6 pastry cases on a baking tray. Make the frangipane mixture by cracking the egg into mixing bowl and adding the almonds, butter and golden caster sugar. Grate over the zest of half an orange and add the vanilla paste or extract. Use a spoon to mix everything together. 

Spoon a small amount of jam in to each pastry case. Top with a heaped teaspoon of frangipane, add another small teaspoon of jam, then finally another heaped teaspoon of frangipane. (if like me, you just have the shallow cases just put a dollop of jam in the bottom and a dollop of frangipane on top). Put the tray in the oven on the middle shelf and set the timer for 18 mins exactly. When the tarts are golden and cooked, turn off the oven and take them out. Serve them warm, with a dollop of creme fraiche on the side.