We love the dramatic look and ultra-flaky texture of this nut-based tart, which comes from Chetna Makan’s new book, Easy Baking with a Twist of Spice (Hamlyn, 2022). Chetna captured our attention when she appeared on the hit show The Great British Bake Off, and has since become an Instragram star and popular cookbook author. Here’s what Chetna has to say about this dessert:
“Frangipane is something I have always enjoyed: the intense almond flavour and very delicate texture is simply delicious. In this recipe I have added another texture, encasing the frangipane with crispy filo pastry, while a nutty base gives it a lovely crunch.”
Serves 8 to10
Ingredients
- 10 ½ tablespoons (150 grams) unsalted butter, softened, plus 4 ¼ tablespoons (60 grams) melted, plus more for the tin
- ¾ cup (150 grams) golden granulated sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons (150 grams) ground almonds
- 2 large eggs
- 6 sheets of filo pastry
- 1 ounce (30 grams) walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 ounce (30 grams) pistachios, finely chopped, plus a handful to finish
- A few drops of clear honey
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180°C).
2. With an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (roughly 2 minutes), then add the ground almonds and eggs and mix well.
3. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) tart tin and place a sheet of filo inside. Brush it generously with some of the melted butter. Lay over another sheet of filo, leaving the sides overhanging the tin and brush with butter. Repeat to use all the filo, buttering each layer.
4. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the filo and spoon over the frangipane. Now gently fold over the overhanging pastry to cover the filling, folding over one layer at a time. Brush it all well with the remaining butter and sprinkle some pistachios on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
5. Remove the tart from the tin and place it on a serving plate. Drizzle some honey on top and enjoy warm, on its own or with ice cream. The tart is best eaten the day you make it; after that the pastry starts to soften.
Excerpted from Easy Baking with a Twist of Spice Copyright 2022 by Chetna Makan. Published by Hamlyn. Photographs by Nassima Rothacker.
