Mushroom, bacon and brie soup

Now that autumn has come along, soups really come into their own. One of my favourite things to do at weekends is stroll around London markets on crisp, cold days and then return home to a hot soup. I remember an old advert for Ready Brek porridge when I was younger that had a person being heated up like a radiator after eating it, and soup really has this effect. 

Soup has a bad reputation with lots of people who think that it is boring, or who would never eat it as a main meal. But soup can be as exciting or boring as you like it to be, you’ve just got to think about what you put in. I used to be very cynical about soups, and would never order or make one, but I have eaten loads over the past few years and now eat them at least once a week. They are a really good way of using up any leftovers, and can be really cheap; perfect for when things are tight at the end of the month. 

Then there are the obvious health benefits. Eating soup makes it easy to eat loads of vegetables in one go, and if the base of the soup is just that and stock then they can be very low fat. I went on a very basic diet earlier this year that just involved eating soup a couple of times a week and doing more exercise, and I was staggered at the amount of weight that I lost. On the other hand, adding things like cream, bacon and cheese to soup can make them taste amazing. But often a little goes a long way, and so there’s no excuse even if you’re on a diet! This bacon and brie in this recipe really elevate it and make it so tasty.

Feel free to use different mushrooms when making this soup, but I have included chestnut and portobello mushrooms as they are easy to get hold of and have a much better flavour than most others commonly available. If you want to make the soup more substantial you can add peeled and diced potatoes, just add to the broth with the stock and cook until they are tender. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

9 large portobello mushrooms, 3 sliced

200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

300g smoked bacon, cut into small pieces

30g dried porcini or chanterelle mushrooms

2ltrs good chicken stock 

3 medium onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, stalks removed

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

50g butter, cubed

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

To finish:

1 large handful of rocket, washed

250g brie, cut into 1cm cubes

First soak the dried mushrooms. Tip them into a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. When soaked and softened carefully drain the mushrooms, retaining the liquid, and roughly chop. Put aside. 

Heat the stock up in a saucepan until it is at boiling point. Strain the mushroom liquid to remove any grit and add to the stock.

Fry the bacon in a little oil in a large saucepan until crispy round the edges. Remove and put aside. Add the chopped onions, garlic and thyme to the bacon fat and cook gently until soft. 

While the onions are cooking, put the 6 whole portobello mushrooms into a food processor and blitz until you get a very fine, almost pate texture. 

When the onions are softened, add the soaked and chopped dried mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the blitzed mushrooms, season well, and cook until all of the moisture evaporates. When the mushroom and onion mixture has cooked, add the bacon back into the pan and pour over the hot stock. Bring the soup to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. 

When the soup has simmered and has a deep, rich taste, add the sliced portobello and chestnut mushrooms to the broth. Cook for another couple of minutes then add the butter and parsley and stir well until dissolved. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Ladle into deep bowls and scatter a good amount of brie cubes over soup, then add a small heap of rocket and a generous grind of black pepper.

Best birthday cake ever!

It was my birthday last week, and my girlfriend Katie promised to make me the best cake ever. She did not disappoint. When I arrived home from work on Saturday I was greeted with a large glass of prosecco and this thing of beauty. She is already the queen of the red velvet cake, and I assumed that it was another of those until I cut into it and was dazzled by the six amazing technicoloured layers. 

Needless to say that I was blown away, and it tasted every bit as good as it looked. Thank you so much darling!

Recipe is courtesy of Lady Aga’s amazing blog at http://www.lady-aga.com/post/28411197091/rainbow-funfetti-cake I have only just discoved it, and I will certainly be trying out many of the recipes that she has written!  

It’s Katie’s birthday at the beginning of October, and I’m nervous (shitting myself) and excited at the challenge of making her something that will nearly match it! 

I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking...

Pork and black pudding sausage rolls with homemade piccalilli

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a sausage roll. I grew up as a kid eating them whilst watching the sport on a Saturday afternoon, bought from the supermarket and eaten hot out of the oven. They are comforting and delicious, and perfect for an autumnal dinner or simply as a snack.

Making them at home allows you to tailor them to exactly how you want them to taste and look. You can make really quick sausage rolls by using your favourite sausages, removing the skins and rolling in shop bought puff pastry, but the taste and texture that you can create by adding the other ingredients can be amazing. I have put pieces of black pudding running through mine as I love the earthy undercurrent that you get with each mouthful and the look of them once cut open, but the combinations you use are really up to you. You could add chilli powder to make them really spicy, or spoon onion marmalade next to the filling mixture before sealing the pastry and baking. Vegetarians can substitute the pork filling with a mushroom pate, butternut squash, goat’s cheese etc. with great results. 

I was always told not to waste my time making puff pastry and to buy it from the shops instead, and for years I did. But recently I have really got into making my pastry and would recommend giving it a go. The texture and taste is so much better, and it doesn’t take that long to make. You can make everything else while the pastry is resting, so you can have sausage rolls in the oven in under two hours. Once you have mastered making puff pastry it is quick and easy, and can be used for loads of other things like pies, tarts and pasties. It’s worth making big batches of it and keeping in the freezer, then it’s just a case of thawing it out and you have a quick and amazing dinner. 

Preserves such as jam and marmalade are always better when made at home, and piccalilli is just the same. And it is so easy too! A lot of these things need weeks after making to mature before you can finally eat them. This recipe is better after weeks or months in the fridge, but if you cannot wait then it is still great once cooked. I’ve still got loads left over from my last batch and it is fantastic with cheese and all sorts of hot and cold meats. If put into properly sterilised jars, it will keep for a good year so it’s worth making loads. If you have too much then it it is great as a present too!

Makes 12 large sausage rolls

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

250g plain flour

1 good pinch course sea salt

1/2tsp baking powder

225g salted butter, cubed and very cold

150ml milk

1 egg, beaten

For the sausage filling:

500g sausagemeat

250g good black pudding, cut into large rough chunks

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

10 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 handful parsley, finely chopped

1 large carrot, grated

1tsp cumin seeds, toasted

1tbsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

For the piccalilli:

1 head cauliflower, cut into very small florets 

2 onions, chopped into small dice

200g french beans, chopped 

2 carrots, cut into 1cm dice

1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1cm dice

1 chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

700ml malt vingear

150ml white wine vinegar

50g caster sugar

2tbsp ground coriander 

3tbsp English mustard powder

3tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp ground turmeric

Salt and pepper

First make the piccalilli. In a very large saucepan heat up the malt vinegar. When boiling, add the cauliflower, carrots and onion for a few minutes, until slightly soft. Add the chilli, cucumber, beans, garlic and sugar and cook for another 2 minutes, before draining carefully and collecting the vinegar. In a separate bowl, whisk the mustard, flour, turmeric, coriander, white wine vinegar and a good amount of seasoning until smooth.

Put the spice and vinegar mixture into the now empty saucepan and heat up on a medium flame. When hot, whisk in the malt vinegar in three goes until well combined. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally to stop catching the bottom of the pan. When the mixture coats the back of a spoon, taste and add more salt if needed, before adding the cooked vegetables and mixing through. Remove from the heat and pour into a large sterilised kilner jar. Seal the lid and once cool refrigerate. 

To make the puff pastry for the sausage rolls, put the flour, butter cubes, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Mix quickly with spoon but do not combine, then add the milk and stir together. The dough should look stodgy and uncombined, with the lumps of butter still solid in the mixture. Tip out onto a really well floured surface and work the mixture into a rough 30cm square. Fold the square in by thirds, then repeat the rolling and the folding process. At this point the dough will be really difficult to work, and will look like a dodgy omelette, but have faith as it will combine by the end. Wrap the folded dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for half an hour. Repeat the rolling and chilling twice more and the dough is ready to use (or freeze if not using straight away). 

While the dough is chilling, make the sausage filling. Fry the onions, garlic and thyme leaves in a little oil and butter gently until soft, about 10-15 minutes, then allow to cool. Put the sausage meat, black pudding chunks, grated carrot, cumin, paprika, parsley, the cooled onion mixture and seasoning into a large mixing bowl and combine well. Heat up a small frying pan with a little oil and fry a small patty of the filling mixture for a couple of minutes each side until cooked through. Taste the patty and adjust any of the flavours and seasoning. 

Roll the finished pastry into two 30cm x 20cm pieces, and form a line of the filling mixture a third of the way into each sheet. Brush the pastry with a little water and carefully fold over, keeping it tight to the filling before crimping the two pieces together with your fingers. Cut into pieces as large as required and place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Slash the top of each sausage roll with a sharp knife and brush all over with the beaten egg.

Cook in an oven heated to 180ºC (fan) for about 40 minutes and serve with a large dollop of the piccalilli and a nice green salad. Any uncooked sausage rolls will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and will make a really quick lunch or dinner. 

Everything bagels

A soft, chewy bagel stuffed with cream cheese, smoked salmon, dill and lemon has got to be up there as one of my favourite things to have for lunch. In London I am spoilt for choice with the amount of bakeries making them just a stones throw from my flat, often open around the clock for when that bagel craving comes a knocking. After a couple of drinks, a salt beef bagel from Brick Lane beats any kebab hands down!

As I have written on this blog before, I’m still a bit of a novice when it comes to bread making. I can bake a simple white loaf, but am yet to experiment with more advanced things like sourdoughs or ryes. I thought that bagels would be really difficult to make at home, but after a couple of attempts they are a doddle. Bread has a reputation for taking ages, but in reality most of this time is just waiting for the dough to prove. If you’re at home anyway it isn’t much extra effort, and so worth it when that glorious baking smell fills the flat.

I started making bagels using Dan Lepard’s recipe from his excellent book Short and Sweet. I cannot think of a more ironic title for this huge book, containing over 500 pages of fantastic breads, cakes and pastries. I have adapted this recipe by adding the roasted onions and garlic, reducing the yeast and water and by changing the baking methods slightly to create a bagel that is perfect for me. I have also doubled his quantities to make larger bagels. The best thing about this recipe (and most other bread recipes) is that it can be tailored to exactly how you want it. They would also be delicious with lots of dill, sun-dried tomatoes or even a hard cheese running through them. 

As for bagel fillings, the choice is yours. Aside from the smoked salmon or salt beef bagels that I love, they are also great with a soft cheese such as Tunworth or just simply toasted with loads of salty butter. If you go for the smoked salmon, it’s well worth searching out produce from Hansen and Lyndersen’s amazing North London smokery.

Makes 14

Ingredients:

1kg strong white bread flour

3 large onions, cut into large wedges

2 tbsp brown sugar

12 cloves garlic, left whole and unpeeled

12 sprigs of thyme

4 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for sprinkling over the top

4 tbsp poppy seeds, plus more for sprinkling over the top 

1 1/2 tsp dried yeast

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 large pinches salt

500ml warm water

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Olive oil

For the poaching:

50g brown sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

Put the onions, garlic and thyme into a large oven tray and toss in a little olive oil and seasoning. Roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes before removing the softened garlic and scattering the 2 tbsp brown sugar over the remaining onions. Put the onions back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes until soft and golden. Peel the skins from the garlic cloves and chop finely with the cooked onions. Allow to cool. 

Mix the flour, yeast, salt, caster sugar, seeds and cooled roasted onions and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and vinegar and combine until the mixture forms a firm dough, before covering the bowl with a cloth and leaving for 10 minutes. Once rested, knead the dough for 10 seconds on an oiled surface and then return again to the bowl. At this point the dough will still be quite sticky, but it will firm up by the end. Repeat the kneading and resting process twice more before allowing the dough to rest in the bowl for 1 1/2 hours. 

Using your hands, portion the dough out to the size that you want each bagel to be. This recipe makes around 14 large bagels. Shape each piece into a ball by rolling it on the work surface with one hand, cover loosely with cling film and allow to prove again for 20 minutes. 

Heat up a large saucepan of water, adding the brown sugar when it reaches a rolling boil. Put the oven on to 200ºC. Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper and scatter over some seeds.

Once the dough balls have proved for the final time you can make them into bagel shapes. With lightly oiled hands, poke your fingers through the middle and ease the dough outwards. 

Carefully drop the bagels in small batches into the boiling water for a minute before turning and allowing the same on the other side. Remove and place on the lined and seeded baking trays. Sprinkle more seeds and salt over the tops and they are ready to bake. 

Place the baking trays on the top shelves of the pre-heated oven, and tip a small glass of tap water into the bottom of the oven before closing the door. The water will steam up and keep the outsides of the bagels nice and soft. Remove from the oven after 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly on a rack if you can resist for long enough!

Lemon Meringue Pie!

Retro Desserts

I grew up eating desserts like apple crumble, lemon meringue pie or occasionally a vienetta from the shop. Now that’s a blast from the past!. My mum is the apple crumble queen, and I always look forward to going home and tucking into a big bowl. These kind of puddings have almost disappeared recently (perhaps rightly so for the vienetta!), and especially on restaurant menus have been substituted for more technical and ‘pretty’ alternatives. Now I love these refined desserts and the scientific techniques that create them, but I also think that there’s room for the hearty classics. 

A well made lemon meringue pie with a crispy coated soft meringue, tangy filling and thin, short pastry is a beautiful thing. It can also be the real centerpiece of a table, looking magnificent with tall rippling peaks... Do you get the impression that I really like them yet!?

This recipe will make one whole pie in a flan dish (one with a flip out bottom is very helpful), or as I have done here, will make a number of individual pies using a muffin tray. When making these and testing the recipe at home, I had one real problem. I only greased each hole in the muffin tray with butter before putting the pastry in, and once they were filled and had set, I struggled to get them out. I ended up popping them into the freezer before very gently easing them out with two knives, but to get around this I would recommend lining each hole with greaseproof paper that comes 1cm over the lip. Then all you have to do is carefully pull on the greaseproof paper to ease out the pies. It will save a lot of stressful moments trust me! 

As with the above, this recipe often calls for a lot of care to be taken; making sure the pastry is nice and thin, that the filling doesn’t curdle, the sugar is the right temperature etc. but it is well worth the effort. Once practiced a bit it’s as easy as making anything. As with most things, once you have got your head around the basics, you can change the filling from lemon to blueberry, raspberry or anything else that takes your fancy.  

Makes 9 individual pies in a muffin tray

Ingredients:

For the sweet shortcrust pastry:

125g salted butter

100g icing sugar

255g plain flour

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp milk

Pinch of salt

For the lemon filling:

3 tbsp cornflour

150g caster sugar

3 lemons zest

220ml fresh lemon juice

1 orange - juice only, mixed with water to make 200ml

130g butter, cut into 1cm pieces

4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs 

For the Italian meringue:

(If making one large pie, double the ingredients for the meringue topping)

200g caster sugar

4 egg whites

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC (fan oven)

First make the pastry:

In a food processor, cream together the butter, salt and icing sugar until light in colour and very soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, milk and flour and pulse until the mixture starts to look like coarse breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and carefully pat together until just combined. Wrap the ball of dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for an hour.

In the meantime, grease and line 9 holes in a muffin tray, making sure that the greaseproof paper comes at least a centimeter over the top. You will need this to help ease the delicate pastry out later. 

When the dough has rested, take it out of the fridge and using a sharp knife, cut it into thin slices. Line the base and sides of the muffin holes with these slices and push together with your fingers until the pastry is all joined up and completely lined. Prick the bases of each pie with a small fork. Cover the base and sides of each pie with a disc of greaseproof paper and spread baking beans evenly over the top, then put the tray into the oven for 4-5 minutes. When the time is up, take the pastry out of the oven and carefully remove the baking beans and greaseproof from the top, and put the uncovered pastry back in the oven for another couple of minutes or until the base is a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and put aside to cool completely. Note: If your pastry has cracked or has any small holes, you can patch these up carefully with some leftover pastry before returning to the oven for another couple of minutes.

My pastry cases - remember to line with greaseproof unlike shown here!

While the cases are cooling down, make the lemon filling. In a bowl, mix the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest before slowly adding the orange/water mix and lemon juice. Tip the mixture into a saucepan and cook on a medium heat until it is brought to the boil, in which time it should have thickened a little. As soon as it is at boiling point, remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, then the eggs. Once incorporated, return to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened. Be careful not to take it too far as you will scramble the eggs. Pour the mixture into a jug, then fill up each cool pastry case to a millimeter or two under the lip, then put in the fridge for 4 hours to cool and set. 

Once the lemon filling has set, take the tray out of the fridge for five minutes before very carefully easing each tart out of the holes. Return the loose tarts to the fridge while you make the Italian meringue topping.

To make the Italian meringue, put the sugar in a small saucepan and just cover with cold water. Add a cooking thermometer and put on a medium heat. While the sugar is heating up, using an electric whisk on a slow speed, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until light and frothy. When the sugar reaches 115ºC, take it off the heat and, whilst beating on a high speed, slowly pour it into the egg whites. Beat for around 5 minutes, or until the eggs are thick and glossy. 

Take the filled pastry shells out of the fridge and spoon on the meringue, creating swirls and peaks if you wish. To finish, very carefully brown the edges of the meringue with a blowtorch. Alternatively, put the pies into a preheated oven at 140ºC until golden on the outside. 

Serve whilst warm for best results, although the pies will keep in the fridge overnight.

Meals for a rainy day

Back to the comfort food...

Well that was a long summer! This rain really is terrible, and has completely scuppered any plans that I had for nice outdoor evening suppers - I’m still yet to have a barbecue this year! So it’s back to nice hearty food that is perfect to come home to after trudging around in the rain. 

In this blog I’ve included a recipes for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea (or even dessert).   All are quick and simple to prepare, but incredibly satisfying.

Breakfast of champions: Pan-fried mackerel with scrambled eggs on toast 

Sod a full english breakfast, this is what you want on a nice sunday morning with a cup of tea and the papers. It’s traditional to have smoked salmon or kippers for breakfast, but the fresh mackerel keeps the flavours of the dish delicate and balances really well with the creaminess of the eggs. 

Mackerel is a fantastic fish, and one that you will find me using a lot on this blog. It is criminally overlooked in home cooking, with the reputation of being too strongly flavoured and bony. But give me one any day - mackerel is easy to cook and prepare, and a good start if learning how to fillet fish. They are also really cheap and can be bought anywhere, although I hear that their popularity in restaurants is pushing the prices up. I really hope that this isn’t true! For this dish, you can buy mackerel already filleted so that they will only need pin-boning before cooking.

Everyone has their own way of making scrambled eggs, but for me, heating slowly with a dollop of cream and butter until just cooked and oozing over the toast is best. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 mackerel fillets, skin on and pin-boned

1 lemon - juice

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 knob of butter

Salt and pepper

Parsley to finish

For the scrambled eggs:

6 medium eggs

3 tbsp double cream

Salt and pepper

1 large knob of butter

To finish:

2 large, thick slices of sourdough bread

In a large mixing bowl or jug, crack the eggs and add the double cream and some salt and pepper (you can add more later). Whisk well to combine.

Remove the mackerel fillets from the fridge and dry with kitchen roll, season both sides well.

Heat a medium saucepan on a low heat and add the knob of butter. When melted add the eggs, and keep stirring all the time as they start to thicken up. When the mixture has started to thicken and is about half done, remove the saucepan from the heat and place a non-stick frying pan with the vegetable oil on a medium heat. Keep stirring the eggs, they will still be cooking even off the heat. 

When the frying pan has heated up, add the mackerel fillets skin side down, holding them down for a few seconds at first, and fry for 3 minutes before turning. Cook for another 2 minutes before turning the heat off and adding the butter and lemon juice which will sizzle away and gently finish the cooking of the fish in the residual heat. 

When you turn the fish over, put the saucepan with the eggs back on the heat and finish off - it should still be quite runny and just cooked. Check the seasoning and add more if necessary. At the point of turning the fish also get the sourdough bread toasting. 

To serve, butter the toast and spoon over a good dollop of the scrambled eggs. Top with mackerel fillets, some parsley and some more cracked black pepper. Eat while still hot. 

Lunch time: pea, mint and ham soup

This soup is a classic, and perfect for gloomy rainy days. They can be bought in tubs ready made from any supermarket, but as usual a homemade version is far superior. Most simple soups are often overcomplicated with unnecessary ingredients, this version of the soup is so simple and quick to prepare and all of the main ingredients shine through - you can taste the sweet peas, the salty ham and the zing of mint. I like the soup to remain quite chunky in texture, so I crush about a quarter of the peas instead of blending the whole mixture, but this is optional.

Once cooked, this soup stands well and the flavour of the ham develops the longer it is left. This makes it great for leftovers, although try not to re-heat it too much as the colour will fade and it won’t taste so fresh.

This recipe uses ready sliced ham as it is easiest to purchase, but for amazing results use freshly roasted ham in roughly shredded chunks.

Serves 4 for lunch or 2 for a hearty dinner

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 litre good quality chicken stock

1kg frozen peas

1 large bunch mint, leaves picked 

8 slices of good quality ham, roughly torn

1 lemon - juice

salt and pepper

To serve:

Extra virgin olive oil

Crusty break or toast with loads of butter. 

Heat up a large a saucepan with the vegetable oil and slowly cook the chopped shallot and garlic until tender. 

Meanwhile heat the stock up in a separate saucepan until boiling. 

When the garlic and shallots are cooked, add the peas and cover with the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the peas are cooked. 

Using a slotted spoon or sieve, put 3/4 of the peas into a food processor with the mint and blend until smooth, then pour back into the saucepan with the rest of the soup and mix well. Add the chunks of ham and season, and heat the soup back up until just before boiling. 

Just before serving, add the lemon juice and have one final taste and adjust the seasoning. Spoon into bowls and drizzle a little of the extra virgin olive oil over the top. Serve with the crusty bread on the side. 

Afternoon tea: bakewell tart

Another classic and another simple thing to make, but something that if made carefully is really amazing. The soft almondy filling with sweet jam and crisp pastry work so well together, and is really lovely as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

Getting the pastry just right is the key with this. You want it to be short, thin and crisp; if mixed too much and rolled too thickly it will be doughy and undercooked, whilst if rolled too thinly you risk it cracking. Experience is the way to get this right really, and every cook I know has had a nightmare with pastry at some point. As with all baking and pastry, following recipes exactly and cooking with care and patience will produce a better result. With the techniques used, it is also a great stepping stone to making other desserts - good pastry and frangipane filling recipes can be used in many different ways. I have even seen it used to top mince pies with good effect! 

This is my take on the bakewell, traditional recipes won’t have the polenta but I think this gives the frangipane a great texture.

This recipe makes a large tart, but if kept covered it keeps really well and stays moist for 4-5 days.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the sweet shortcrust pastry:

125g salted butter

100g icing sugar

255g plain flour

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp milk

Pinch of salt

For the frangipane:

275g ground almonds

75g uncooked polenta (quick cook variety)

300g salted butter

300g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp almond extract

3/4 jar raspberry jam, preferably home made

good handful of sliced almonds, lightly toasted

To serve:

Double cream

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC (fan oven)

In a food processor, cream together the butter, salt and icing sugar until light in colour and very soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, milk and flour and pulse until the mixture starts to look like coarse breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and carefully pat together until just combined. Wrap the ball of dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for an hour.

In the meantime, grease and line a 28cm flan tin with greaseproof paper, and cut a second  28cm disc of greaseproof paper that you will use to cover the pastry later. 

When the dough has rested, take it out of the fridge and using a sharp knife, cut it into thin slices. Line the base and sides of the tin with these slices and push together with your fingers until the pastry is all joined up and the tin is completely lined. Using a fork, prick the  pastry on the base of the tart all over, this will stop it rising unevenly. Cover the base of the pastry with the spare disc of greaseproof paper and spread baking beans evenly over the top, and put the pastry into the oven for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, take the pastry out of the oven and carefully remove the baking beans and greaseproof from the top, and put the uncovered pastry back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the base is a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Turn the oven down slightly to 160ºC.

While the pastry base is cooling, make the frangipane filling. Put the ground almonds and polenta in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until creamed together. Add this, along with the beaten eggs and almond extract to the almonds and polenta and fold until smooth. 

When the pastry shell has cooled down, spoon an even layer of the raspberry jam over the base, then fill to the top with the frangipane mixture. Sprinkle over the toasted sliced almonds and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, there should still be a little bit of wobble in the middle. 

Allow to cool slightly before serving with a good dollop of whipped double cream and a cup of tea.