Anna Jones' Blackberry Tart

We're at peak blackberry season this September, and who better to take us through a stunning berry tart recipe than Anna Jones.

A food writer, chef, and blogger, Anna is passionate about organic.

Focusing heavily on vegetarian recipes, she writes:“because my food is all about fruit and veg, it’s important that I know that it has a few pesticides as possible, and organic is the best way of guaranteeing that. Try organic this September and know what’s in your food.”

Anna's recipe comes from her book The Modern Cook's Year, which focuses on eating simply, healthily and in keeping with the seasons.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 200g light spelt flour
• Pinch of flaky sea salt
• 60g ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons runny honey
• 125g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large organic egg yolk, beaten
  

For the filling:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons runny honey
• 3 medium organic eggs
• 150g ground almonds
• 3 tablespoons plain flour (I use white spelt)
• Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Zest of 1 unwaxed clementine
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 360g blackberries
• 4-8 bay leaves

Method

Add the flour, salt, almonds and honey into a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the egg and gently work everything together with your hands until you have a ball of dough. (Don’t overwork or it will be chewy.) Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Butter a 22cm non-stick loose-bottomed tart tin. Roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface, then ease into the tin.

Trim off any excess, prick the base all over with a fork and pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

Fill the lined pastry case with uncooked rice and bake blind for 10 minutes.

Take the case out, remove the rice and greaseproof paper, then return to the oven to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until firm and almost biscuit-like. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make your frangipane. Mix the butter and honey until soft, add the eggs one by one and stir well. Mix in the almonds, flour, citrus zests and vanilla and mix until you have a smooth thick paste.

Puree half the blackberries and pour over the cooled tart base and top with frangipane. Scatter over the remaining blackberries, lay the bay leaves on top and push gently into the frangipane.

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the frangipane is set and golden brown.