{"id":1104,"date":"2009-06-27T21:29:23","date_gmt":"2009-06-28T03:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2009-07-24T18:22:51","modified_gmt":"2009-07-25T00:22:51","slug":"daring-bakers-bakewell-tart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/27\/daring-bakers-bakewell-tart\/","title":{"rendered":"Daring Bakers: Bakewell Tart"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had never heard of this dessert before this Daring Bakers challenge. \u00a0After reading the recipe I knew it would be delicious. \u00a0A shortbread-like crust, a layer of jam topped with an almond filling and baked until golden topped with cream. \u00a0How can this combination\u00a0NOT <\/em>be delicious? \u00a0It was, by the way, delicious.<\/p>\n

\"tart3\"<\/p>\n

The June Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.<\/p>\n

I used Bing cherry preserves in my tart and loved the combination of the tart cherries and almond. \u00a0I couldn’t locate my tart pan, so I used a pie plate. \u00a0It wasn’t as pretty as a tart pan would have been, but it did the job just fine.<\/p>\n

This sounded like a daunting dessert initially, but was fairly quick and simple for the amateur baker. \u00a0I will make this again, but probably in the fall as it seemed to be a rich dessert better suited for cooler weather, in my opinion.<\/p>\n

I had never used the method for this crust recipe before. \u00a0Instead of using a pastry blender to incorporate the butter, you use a box grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture and use your fingers to mix it up. \u00a0I used my hands for the entire mixing process of the crust dough. \u00a0It was a bit messy, but it is easier to feel how the dough is coming together when you use your hands than it is with a spoon. \u00a0You have to be careful not to overmix or the crust will be tough.<\/p>\n

After chilling the dough I rolled it out and transferred it to the pie plate. \u00a0This step gave me the most trouble. \u00a0My dough tore and I had to repair and patch up a few spots on the sides of the plate with the excess dough.<\/p>\n

\"tart5\"<\/p>\n

I used 10 oz of the jam on the crust and it was a good amount.<\/p>\n

\"tart4\"<\/p>\n

Spread atop the jam, the frangipane. I made a little design which quickly disappeared upon entering the oven.<\/p>\n

\"tart2\"<\/p>\n

After 25 minutes in the oven, I was worried that the tart was getting too dark and was still very wiggly in the middle. \u00a0I took it out after the 30 minutes and it set up nicely after cooling. \u00a0It is a little dark, but still tasted good.<\/p>\n

\"tart1\"<\/p>\n

I made whipped cream to serve with the tart, but it would be lovely plain as well.<\/p>\n

Eat up!<\/p>\n

Bing Cherry Bakewell Pie<\/h2>\n

Makes one 23cm (9\u201d tart)<\/strong>
\nPrep time:<\/strong> less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
\nResting time:<\/strong> 15 minutes
\nBaking time:<\/strong> 30 minutes
\nEquipment needed: <\/strong>23cm (9\u201d) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin<\/p>\n

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
\nBench flour
\n250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
\nOne quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
\nOne handful blanched, flaked almonds<\/p>\n

Assembling the tart<\/strong>
\nPlace the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it’s overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1\/4\u201d) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 200C\/400F.<\/p>\n

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.<\/p>\n

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.<\/p>\n

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.<\/p>\n

Jasmine\u2019s notes:
\n<\/strong>\u2022 If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It’s a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn’t have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
\n\u2022 You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
\n\u2022 The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1\/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how \u201cdamp\u201d and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2\/3cup) on the crust.
\nAnnemarie\u2019s notes:
\n<\/strong>\u2022 The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it\u2019s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).<\/p>\n

Sweet shortcrust pastry<\/h2>\n

Prep time: <\/strong>15-20 minutes
\nResting time:<\/strong> 30 minutes (minimum)
\nEquipment needed: <\/strong>bowls, box grater, cling film<\/p>\n

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
\n30g (1oz) sugar
\n2.5ml (\u00bd tsp) salt
\n110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
\n2 (2) egg yolks
\n2.5ml (\u00bd tsp) almond extract (optional)
\n15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water<\/p>\n

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.<\/p>\n

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.<\/p>\n

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes<\/p>\n

Jasmine\u2019s notes:
\n<\/strong>\u2022 I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
\n\u2022 If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract<\/p>\n

Frangipane<\/h2>\n

Prep time:<\/strong> 10-15 minutes
\nEquipment needed:<\/strong> bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula<\/p>\n

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
\n125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
\n3 (3) eggs
\n2.5ml (\u00bd tsp) almond extract
\n125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
\n30g (1oz) all purpose flour<\/p>\n

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams:\u00a0Don\u2019t panic<\/em><\/strong>. Really. It\u2019ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.<\/p>\n