Blueberry Frangipane Flan

from Organic Kitchen by Yvonne Spevack

frangipane indicates a dessert made with almond filling

I think this recipe makes a gorgeous tart...and if I get to taste it I'll let you know if the flavor is as good as it looks. I had to rush it straight to the restaurant and hope it's a hit!

This recipe is under the summer section of Organic Kitchen and the caption reads "A tangy lemon pastry case is filled with a nutty sweet almond filling dotted with ripe blueberries. Their wonderful color and taste are a seasonal favorite."

So, I cheated because

A. My blueberries were from the farm and frozen (but they were organic!)

B. I didn't have a lemon, so I made the tart shell with clementine zest instead of lemon.

C. I had to add a tiny bit more liquid to the pastry to get it to roll out smoothly. It was pretty crumbly.

D. I actually added an extra egg and a bit more milk and flour to pump up the filling, which I don't think was necessary recipe-wise, but perhaps it was restaurant-wise.

E. I don't know if I ground the almonds enough. Whatever.

F. I used 1/2 T rum instead of 1 T brandy. Whatever!

but i've wanted to try this recipe for awhile and here it is!

Recipe

For the Pastry:

1.5 cups all-purpose flours

.5 cup (one stick) unsalted butter

2 T sugar

finely grated rind of 1/2 a lemon

1 T chilled water

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and lemon rind, then add water and mix to a firm dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 9-in loose bottomed tart or quiche pan. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with dried beans (for weight) and bake for 10 min. Remove the paper and the beans and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven.

MEANWHILE...

...make the Filling:

2 T ground coffee

3 T milk

4 T unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup ground almonds

1 T all purpose flour, sifted

1 cups blueberries

2 T jam

1 T brandy

creme fraiche or sour cream, to serve.

Put the ground coffee in a bowl, heat the milk to almost boiling and pour over the coffee. Let infuse for 4 minutes.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale, beat in the egg, then mix in the almonds and flour. Strain the coffee-milk through a coffee filter and mix the milk in with the other ingredients.

Pour the coffee mixture into the pastry shell and spread evenly. Scatter the blueberries over the top and push them down slightly into the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, until firm, covering with foil after 20 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Heat the jam and brandy in a small saucepan.

Brush over the flan and remove from the tin. Serve warm with creme fraiche or sour creme.

It really is lovely...I'll probably make another for myself.

And look! The cheesecake I brought in THIS MORNING is almost GONE!