Frangipane Tarts

So... if you don't already own British chef Jamie Oliver's book Meals in Minutes, or haven't seen the accompanying TV series, then you need to do either or both (probably both) right now. The book is full of relatively simple and extremely delicious recipes, designed as full meals, so you can impress people with a beautiful spread without working at it all day long. Plus the photographs in the book are so gorgeous you'll want to eat the page itself. 

These little frangipane tarts are part of one of my favourite meals from the book - penne with Italian sausage, named "Jools' Pregnant Pasta," for his wife - I don't make the pasta all the time, but these tarts have become a stand-by for me. They're insanely easy to make and they're crazy good... a slightly gooey orangey-almondy centre with pockets of tart raspberry, all in a handy single-serving tart. You could definitely make your own pastry shells if you're so inclined, but the kind you buy in the freezer section at the grocery store taste better (I'm not a gifted pastry-maker) and allow you to whip these up in about 20 minutes.

If you want, you could get creative and use a lemon in lieu of an orange, add a couple of real raspberries to each tart shell, try a different jam (although berry jams would probably be best). These keep in the freezer just fine so you can make infinite batches and fill your deep freeze with them! Or, you know, just one batch for now... I guess.

Frangipane Tarts
Recipe from Jamie Oliver's Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes

Makes 12

1 cup ground almonds (most Save-On stores have this in the bulk section)
7 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
Good quality raspberry jam
12 tart shells, thawed

It's really easy: Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Mix the almonds, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and orange zest in a medium bowl until well blended. Next, spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the bottom of each tart shell, squish a dollop of the almond mixture on top of that, then another little spoonful of jam, and another spoonful of almond mixture; just alternate until you've filled up the tart shells. Bake for 18 minutes, until the edges are golden. Allow the tarts to cool completely, and keep them stored in an airtight container. That's assuming they don't all get eaten right out of the oven.