Here comes summer…..

Tarte aux framboises

We've just got back from a fantastic holiday in the Vercors district of the French Alps. where we met Dominique Fluzin runs La Taiga, a lovely little hotel  in the village of Villard de Lans. The Hotel gets its name from a link with the Siberian Forest as it hosted members of the Russian Olympic team who stayed for the Winter Olympics in Grenoble in 1968. The sporting links don’t end there as Dominique offers expert guidance for cyclists, walkers and winter sports enthusiasts throughout the year.

Dominique and his wife Marie Jose are keen to offer guests a taste of local traditional food including Tartiflette and he kindly wrote out his family recipe for Tarte aux framboises. The flavour of the raspberries is enhanced with ground almonds. I’ve made a version using a thin base of Grandma’s Shortcrust Pastry which is like French Pate Brisee but Dominique uses Puff Pastry /Pate feuilletee. A vous le choix!

Line a large flan dish with Shortcrust Pastry and bake blind for around 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Filling

160g/6oz caster sugar

3 eggs

75g/3oz butter (melted)

70g/2½oz ground almonds

150g/5½oz raspberries

Beat the eggs and sugar until they are creamy white. Add the melted butter and ground almonds. Mix in the raspberries. Pour the mixture into the flan case and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes at 180C/Mark 4/350F.

Dominique decorated his Tarte aux Framboises with chocolate vermicelli but you could always dust with icing sugar.

Dominique's recipe is already bringing back wonderful memories of a fantastic ‘sejour’ in the Alpes. Let’s make the most of the sun, and our own local produce.  Have you got a summer recipe to share?