Any kind of almond frangipane tart looks so appetising, from raspberry in summer to plum or pear tart as in this recipe. A splash of Poire William liqueur in some English custard complements the tart beautifully. Make sure you serve it warm to get the maximum flavour.

Makes one 10-inch tart

Ingredients
For the frangipane

250g butter
250g caster sugar
100g plain flour
200g ground almonds
5 eggs
1 measure dark rum
1/2 tsp almond essence

For the sweet pastry
125g butter
100g sugar
1 egg
250g plain flour
6 poached pears or 12(tinned) pear halves
2tbsp apricot jam
2tbsp caster sugar
100g flaked almonds

1. To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar then mix in the sifted flour and egg to form the pastry. Do not overwork the pastry – you want it to be as short as possible. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

2. Remove from the fridge, roll out on a floured surface and line a 10-inch cake ring, leaving an overhang of pastry all around. Press the pastry firmly into the ring. Rest in the fridge for another 20 minutes and then blind bake at 180°C for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. This is now ready for your frangipane mix.

3. To make the frangipane filling: cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the beaten egg. Sift the flour and ground almonds together into the bowl and mix in, then stir in the rum and almond essence. You don’t have to add the almond essence but I think it really brings out the almond flavour. Spoon the mix into your pastry case and lay the pear halves around the top of the tart, sprinkle the sugar and flaked almonds onto the tart and bake at 160°C for 30-40 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and trim the excess pastry from around the tart. Portion and serve while warm.