I love going to the markets and picking through the fresh produce. Every now and then, I come across surprisingly wonderful and unusual fruits and vegetables. I've found a man who sells potatoes of all shapes, sizes and colours. I've found a couple who sell hearty beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes as big as my head, in all their different colours and forms. And then I found these, yellow raspberries. I had seen yellow raspberries in magazines, but they seemed somewhat mythical. The yellow variety is simply an albino raspberry, and they have such a subtle flavour in comparison to their red cousin. A chocolate frangipane tart, studded with these glistening gems, made for the perfect afternoon treat.
Raspberry & Chocolate Frangipane Tart
What you'll need:
Pastry:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
125g butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
Frangipane filling:
100g butter, chopped
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup plain flour
70g milk or dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
200g raspberries
Caster sugar, extra
What to do:
Place all ingredients for the pastry in a food processor and process until the mixture forms a ball. Shape into a disc, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C and grease a 22cm tart pan. Lightly flour a clean work surface with plain flour and roll the pastry out between to sheets of baking paper to a 22cm wide, 3mm-thick round. Line the base and sides of the pan with the pastry, pressing into any crevices. Trim excess pastry.
Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Allow shell to cool slightly while you make the frangipane.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate and beat until combined. Stir in the almond meal and plain flour.
Pour this mixture into the tart shell and smooth it out. Arrange raspberries on top and press them into the frangipane slightly. Sprinkle generously with caster sugar and bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top.
Allow to cool slightly and enjoy with a dollop of mascarpone!
