Frangipane Tart

This began with an apple flan from the Woman's Weekly a long time ago. I've substituted pear, nectarine, peach and plums, and all are good. Figs look beautiful but somehow the taste doesn't work. I think quince could look spectacular, must remember to try it when they are in season again.

~Frangipane Tart~
350g frozen puff pastry
1.5kg Golden Delicious apples or similar amount of fruit to substitute
100g ground almonds or hazelnuts
7 tablespoons sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
375ml cream
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 tablespoons brandy
3-4 tablespoons flour

Butter a 12" flan dish (in future I'll try a rectangular dish to cut squares) and line with pastry.

Peel and core apples and cut into 1cm thick slices, or halve and stone plums/nectarines etc. Mix fruit with lemon juice, zest, and 2 tab sugar.

Sprinkle the pastry base with almond meal and arrange fruit evenly on top. Bake at 200 degrees C for 15-20 minutes.

Whisk cream, eggs, vanilla, brandy, 5 tab sugar and flour together until smooth - I use a stab mixer. Pour over the fruit and cook 15-20 minutes until the centre isn't wobbly and the bumps are starting to colour.

Serve warm or cool, with cream.

Pot Roast with Sweet Onion Jam and Poached Pears

We had this tonight and it was so good I'm jotting down the ingredients. Will try to repeat this, it was delish.


~Pot Roast with Sweet Onion Jam and Poached Pears~
1.5kg topside roast, trimmed of most fat - leave some on for flavour
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
about a tab fresh thyme
about 200ml red wine
about 1 tab brown sugar
about 1 cup chicken stock
2 Buerre Bosc pears

Heat a large frypan over med-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Brown roast on all sides then place in crockpot or casserole dish.

Turn down heat and add onions. Cook till soft, then deglaze pan with stock.

Pour stock, red wine, brown sugar and onions on top of roast, then sprinkle over thyme.

Cover and cook in preheated oven or crockpot until meat is tender. Turn the roast once during cooking to keep it moist and cook evenly. Remove meat to rest and keep covered.

Pour cooking juices back into frypan. Peel and halve pears and place flat side down in the pan juices. Poach pears and reduce liquid until it is thick and syrupy and pears are cooked.

Serve with jacket potatoes and fresh steamed greens.