Frangipane tart

Made with at least two kinds of nuts and seeds and attractively speckled with poppy seeds, this tart looks and tastes delicious.

SERVES 8

Hob-nobby pastry (see above)

FOR THE SEEDY FRANGIPANE FILLING

100g almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios (or a mix)

100g pumpkin or sunflower seeds (or a mix) 200g unsalted butter, softened 80g golden caster sugar 3 medium eggs (at room temperature), beaten 2 tbsp plain flour 30g poppy seeds 25g extra pumpkin seeds or flaked almonds for topping the tart

TO FINISH (OPTIONAL)

Fresh berries or cherries A dollop of yoghurt or creme fraîche

PREHEAT the oven to 180c/160c fan/ gas 4. Roll out the hob-knobby shortcrust pastry on a floured surface, as thinly as you can, turning it once or twice and dusting with a little more flour.

Use it to line a 24cm round loosebased fluted tart tin, pressing the pastry into the corners and trimming the excess. Place the tin on a baking tray. Prick the pastry base in a few places with a fork. Line with baking paper, then add a layer of baking beans or dried beans or rice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until it looks dry and cooked and is just starting to colour. Leave the pastry case to cool a little. For the filling, tip the nuts and pumpkin/sunflower seeds on to a large baking sheet, spread them out and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and starting to turn golden, stirring once halfway through to ensure even colouring. Take out the tray and lower the oven setting to 170c/ 150c fan/gas 3. Tip the toasted nuts and seeds into a bowl and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes. Once cooled, transfer to a food processor and blitz until the mix is the texture of ground almonds.

Using a free-standing mixer, or an electric hand whisk and bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Now whisk in the beaten egg, a little at time, adding a shake of flour with each addition. Once half of the egg is incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then continue. Finally, mix in the blitzed nutty seed mixture and the poppy seeds, until just incorporated. Spoon the frangipane into the baked tart case, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle a few whole pumpkin seeds or flaked almonds evenly over the surface and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven setting up to 200c/180c fan/ gas 6 and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the frangipane is firm and golden brown on top. Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve at room temperature, cut into slices, with fresh berries or cherries, plus a dollop of yoghurt or crème fraîche, if you are using it.