Blackberry and Hazelnut Tart

Delicious take on a frangipane tart. The filling is both crunchy and moist and the sweet buttery pastry is both crisp and crumbly.

1. 1

   For the pastry, cut the cold butter into little chunks. Put the flour and icing sugar in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add the chunks of butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the two egg yolks and blitz again, just until a dough starts to form. Bring together with your hands, wrap in cling film, flatten slightly and chill for at least an hour.
   Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. If not using blanched hazelnuts, tip the warm nuts into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins (it doesn't matter if they don't all come off completely). Leave to cool.
   Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the pastry (to approx. 3mm thick). Note that it will be quite soft and a little tricky to work with. Use to line a 27 cm round fluted tart tin*, patching up any tears as needed. Prick the base all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge for half an hour.
   Scrunch up a piece of baking paper, lay it in the chilled tart shell and fill with baking beans (or rice / dried beans / copper coins).
   Bake at 200 degrees C for 15-20 minutes. Unless leaving the baking of the tart until later, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C.
   For the filling, cream the butter and sugar together until soft. Lightly beat the eggs and vanilla paste (or extract / seeds scraped from the vanilla pod) with a fork, then add to the creamed mixture and beat well together.
   Blitz the cooled hazelnuts in a food processor for about 30 seconds until well ground, with a combination of fine and coarse pieces.
   Fold the ground hazelnuts into the mixture. Spoon into the tart shell. Press blackberries into the top of the tart. Any spares can be served with the tart.
   Bake for 30-35 minutes, laying a piece of foil over the top of the tart after 20 minutes, to avoid it browning too much.
   Leave to cool in the tin. Dust with a little icing sugar before serving.
   Serve at room temperature with creme fraiche / cream and a few fresh blackberries.