Can I ask you something? Have you ever thought you might have a book in you? A fiction book that is. I have become obsessed lately in writing one. Without temperatures, methods, photos. Just a book. Maybe a love story. Not sure. Surely it’s a mistake to diversify. Isn’t it? I even have an idea. It’s sad in a romantic kind of a way.
Maybe I will start to write it. In the meantime I will stick to what I know and carry on baking. This frangipane tart is all the things you want from a festive tart. It has orange curd and almonds and spices and dried fruit. It’s missing marzipan but I daren’t chuck that in. I know how shirty some of you get when I become all marzipan-happy.
Scott Choucino took the photos of this glorious tart. His work is here.
Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum, (available on Amazon, at The Works, Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets) and The Power of Frozen (available exclusively in Iceland stores and through their website) which is just £2.99 at the mo! And no, the recipes are not just about frozen food. Every recipe has instructions of how to make with chilled ingredients too.
Last December: Two minute marinade for chicken and Melted snowman biscuits and Egg nog truffles and Chocolate biscuit Christmas pudding and Drunken Amaretto mince pies and Cheese concertina loaf and Hot chocolate on a stick and Sausage, sage and squash lasagne and Chocolate hazelnut granola and Orange and cranberry loaf and Chocolate ganache tart.
Two years ago: My slow cooker beef bourguignon pie and Crumble topped mince pies and a very ugly but delicious cranberry & raspberry traybake
Three years ago: Mini Yorkshire pudding canapes and Christmas pudding fizz and Brandy butter icing and Rudolf morsels
Four years ago: Lime meringue pie with chocolate pastry and Christmas scones and Ginger cake with Christmas cottage and Hot chocolate on a stick
Five years ago: Moonuts and Cheese biscuits and Parsnip soup and Inauthentic chicken tagine
Christmas frangipane tart
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 250g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
- 50g icing sugar
- 125g cold butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 large egg, beaten
For the filling, frangipane and decoration:
- 580g orange curd
- 150g butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 150g ground almonds
- 50g sultanas
- 50g chopped glace cherries
- 50g icing sugar
Mix together the flour and icing sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips, to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add the egg and use a blunt knife to mix. Use your hands to pull the pastry together, wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4. To make the frangipane, beat together the butter, sugar and mixed spice with a mixer/wooden spoon until light and creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the ground almonds, sultanas and cherries and set aside.
Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin and use to line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin. Spoon the curd into the case, then the frangipane over the top (spoon around the rim first to seal the pastry to the frangipane) and bake for 35–40 minutes until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack in the tin. Once cool, remove from the tin and dust with icing sugar.
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Holly Bell 
Where do you buy orange curd from -supermarket or specialist??
There is one in the Tesco Finest range.
I love the look of this! I love Frangipane topped mince pies so think I’ll definately give this a whirl. Though pastry is my downfall so I may buy that!!
Hi Holly, I did indeed think about writing a fiction book, and then I did it! I became a SAHM when my eldest daughter was born, but although I loved being at home with her, by the time she was 2 I was starting to feel I needed something for myself as well. I’d always vaguely wanted to write, but then I dreamt up an idea. My MIL agreed to look after my toddler two afternoons a week, and I wrote the book, ‘Two for Joy’. It was published by Hodder, and I followed it a year later with another, ‘To Have and to Hold’, and an e-book ‘On the Third Day of Christmas’. They’re all romancey chick-litty type books. I still have to pinch myself to believe that I actually did it. I had my second baby a year ago, and so am just concentrating on blogging (https://helenlchandler.wordpress.com) now, but I definitely want to write another novel once my littley starts pre-school. Or maybe I should try a cookery book…! If you’re thinking about it, go for it. Good luck! xxx Oh, and the frangipane tart looks gorgeous too!