RASPBERRY FRANGIPANE CROISSANT BAKE

Love almond croissants? You’ll adore this luxurious brunch dish. It’s a great way to use up any leftover pastries, and you can serve it as a dessert, too

Beat the January blues by cooking up something delicious in your kitchen this weekend. Whether you fancy a nourishing bowl packed with goodness, or something indulgent to snuggle on the sofa with, these recipes should bring a smile.

My creamy gnocchi, squash and spinach bake is the best of both worlds, providing a couple of portions of your daily veg whilst still feeling comforting, and better yet, it cooks in just 30 mins!

If you want to start the day the right way, give this healthy smoothie bowl a go and have fun topping it with your favourite fruits and nuts. 100g butter, softened, plus extra for the dish

100g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp

150g ground almonds

1 tbsp self-raising flour

½ tsp almond extract

3 eggs

100g crème fraîche, plus extra to serve

300ml whole milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

4 croissants

150g fresh or frozen raspberries 25g flaked almonds yogurt, cream or ice cream, to serve (optional)

1

Butter a baking dish (ours was 18 x 26cm) and set aside. Put the butter, 100g caster sugar, the ground almonds, flour and almond extract in a bowl, then crack in 1 egg. Beat the mixture with an electric whisk until you have a smooth frangipane, about 2 mins.

2

Crack the remaining eggs into a large jug and whisk with the crème fraîche, milk, vanilla and 1 tbsp caster sugar to make a smooth custard.

3

Tear open each croissant and fill with 2-3 tbsp of the frangipane and a few raspberries. Arrange in the dish cutside up. Pour over the custard, making sure each croissant is saturated, then spoon over any remaining frangipane. Leave to soak at room temperature for 1 hr. At this stage, the croissant bake can be chilled overnight.

4

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter over the flaked almonds and bake in the middle of the oven for 35 mins until the custard is just set and the almonds are toasted. Serve with crème fraîche, yogurt, cream or ice cream, if you like.