Frangipane and mixed berry tart

Last weekend we picked masses of wild blackberries from our seaside property in Riverport, N.S. We also managed to scrape up the last of the season's wild blueberries and a few raspberries.

With friends coming over for a Sunday dinner, we searched for an interesting way to serve the berries and came up with this fabulous frangipane tart, which is now my favourite new recipe. I plan to make it again in the fall with pears or apples in place of the berries.

You could cut the pastry dough to form a round, but we decided to go with a rectangular tart, sort of like a 'pizza rustica.'

Frangipane is an almond cream filling that can be used in tarts, pastries and cakes. Some say the name is derived from the Italian 'frangere il pane,' meaning 'break the bread.' The pastry filling is generally thought to be of Belgian origin.

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup mixed berrie
1 package of puff pastry (we used Tenderflake)
 With a hand mixer, cream together the butter with 1/4 cup sugar.

1. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
2. Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour and beat until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
3. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.
4. Place the berries in a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon sugar. Lightly toss to coat berries with sguar.
5. Roll out puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.
6. Place on a large baking sheet.
7. Leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the pastry, prick the dough with a fork to stop it from puffing up.
8. Smooth the frangipane over the pastry - leaving a ½ inch border.
9. Bake in the oven for 4-5 minutes.
10. Remove tarts from the oven and arrange berries on top.
11. Bake until pastry is crisp and golden brown - approximately 8 minutes.