RHUBARB & APPLE TART

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1 Make a large shortcrust pastry case (see basic recipe).

2 To make the frangipane, place the butter and caster sugar in a bowl or stand mixer and beat to combine.

Try not to incorporate too much air, as you don’t want the frangipane to puff up too much during baking. Add a third of the ground almonds and mix, then add a splash of the beaten egg and combine. Continue until all the ground almonds and egg have been added and are combined. Transfer to the fridge to stiffen.

3 Meanwhile, make a flavoured sugar syrup. Combine the sugar, water, star anise (if using), vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and set over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat.

4 Once the frangipane is cool, spread across the base of the pre-baked pastry case.

5 To prepare the apples, heat a large pan of water until simmering and add the juice of 1 lemon. Prepare a bowl of cold water (with ice) and add the juice of the remaining lemon to this. Core the apples with an apple corer, then halve each vertically. Slice each half horizontally, as thinly as possible, then plunge into the simmering water. Keep checking every 30 seconds or so. When ready, they should be able to bend and curl without breaking. Drain, then plunge the slices into the cold water.

6 Lay the rhubarb pieces on top of the frangipane in a decorative fashion. If you want to expose the interior colour of the rhubarb, trim the skin from the flat side of the stems. Use the prepared apple slices to make decorative swirls, pushing them into the frangipane to hold their shape.

If you’re using decorative pastry shapes, add these, too.

7 Brush the fruit with the flavoured syrup, avoiding any pastry shapes. If the syrup has solidified, warm through until it becomes liquid enough to use. Place the tart in the fridge for at least 1 hour or even overnight before baking.

8 Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 160°C (140°C fan oven) gas mark 3. Sprinkle the entire surface of the tart with a fine dusting of caster sugar before covering it loosely with foil. The tart can take up to 2 hours to bake: the time will vary depending on how the fruit is laid and sliced, and, of course, your oven. Check after the first hour, then every 20 minutes, removing the foil for the final 20 minutes of baking. The tart is ready when the fruit has softened and you can see that the frangipane has a sponge-like appearance.

9 Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin.