Bakewell tart

Method

• step 1

  Heat the oven to 170c/fan 150c/gas 3. To make the pastry, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Quickly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs.
  Mix the icing sugar and lemon zest into the mixture, then add the egg and egg yolk. Work everything together to form a ball, wrap and chill for 1 hour.

• step 2

  Meanwhile, cream 110g sugar and the butter and almond essence together until the mixture is light and white. Mix the almonds and flour.
  Add one egg at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, sprinkling a little of the almond flour in at the same time to help the eggs bind. Once both eggs are well mixed in, fold in the rest of the almond flour.

• step 3

  Put half the cherries into a pan with 100g of the caster sugar. Dissolve the sugar, then remove the pan from the heat, blitz the cherries with a hand blender and return to the heat.
  Reduce the mixture until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, let cool a little and add the whole cherries.

• step 4

  Line 6 × 10cm individual tart tins with the pastry and divide the cherries between them, saving a little juice for serving.
  Spoon the frangipane on top of the cherries and bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and the filling set and lightly browned.

• step 5

  Put a warm tart in the centre of each plate and spoon round some juice. Dust with icing sugar.