A Needy Sweetner

This has been a very strange week for me. I will explain!
Firstly the long and exceptionally hot weather has almost put paid to my super vegetable garden. In the last couple of days I have had to say goodbye to tomatoes, lettuce, rocket, sweet corn, strawberries and beetroot! All that seems to be alive now are chillies, capsicum, black kale, eggplant and a few sad looking zucchinis. Thankfully, most of my herbs are fine! 

On Friday my beloved Husqvana Sewing Machine, let out a long, loud, squeal, a few puffs of smoke and stopped working! Damn, right in the middle of a big sewing project.

Yesterday, I had a narrow escape with a saucepan of lentils which almost set my house on fire. Thankfully, the Country Fire Service was available to divert this disaster.

So perhaps you can understand why this week needs a sweetener!

I found this recipe in my 'Simply Heaven, Volume 2", a book put out by Kraft Food in 2010. It features 75 recipes using Philadelphia Cream Cheese. For me this recipe has way too much sugar and butter, so I have cut them both down and they worked perfectly.

This Frangipane Tart looks lovely and tastes wonderful, but the calorie count is quite high. However, If you have a small amount on a special occasion, it isn't going to over concern you. I did an hour of Pilates today so I am feeling pretty smug! Enjoy!

Raspberry Frangipane Tart

My Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

11/2 cups plain flour

1 tbls caster sugar

80g butter

2 tblsp cold water

Filling

100g butter softened

125g Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese softened

1/4 cup caster sugar

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 eggs

11/2 cups ground almonds

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/4 cup flaked almonds

Dash of Icing sugar for serving

• To make the pastry, combine flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and process until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add water and pulse to combine. Gently knead, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll out pastry to fit a fluted tart pan with a removable base - I  used one that measured 130 cms x 340 cm. Prick the base and cook for 12 minutes on 180 degrees, until it is just starting to brown. Take it out of the oven.
• Lower the oven temperature to 150 degrees.
• While this is cooking, mix the filling.
• Beat butter, cream cheese, vanilla with an electric beater. Add eggs and beat well. Fold in the ground almonds and pour this into the base. Sprinkle the raspberries onto the filling, slightly pushing them down into the filling.
• Sprinkle with flakes almonds and cook for 50 minutes, until it is set. Cool in tin. 
• Dust with icing sugar and serve. 

The recipe will serve 10 people. So invite your friends or neighbours to share.