Spray six 10 cm (4 in) individual tart tins with cooking oil. While the
brown butter chills, roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface to
a sheet approximately 40 cm × 40 cm (15¾ in × 15¾ in) and 2–3 mm
(⅛ in) thin. Cut six 12 cm (4¾ in) circles (see Circle of crust, page 67,
and re-roll once if you need) – wide enough to fully line the sides of
the tart tins. Working one at a time, lay a dough circle on top of a tin
and gently push the dough in. Working around the circle, push the
dough to snugly fit against the side and base. Press the dough against
the upper side and use your fingers to push off any overhang. Collect
up the excess dough and freeze it for a future batch of frangipane.

Keep the tartlet shells chilled while you finish the frang.

To the cooled yet still soft brown butter, add the remaining
70 g of butter, sugar, rum, vanilla and almond essence. Inhale the
beauty! Using the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients on speed
5 (medium) for about 5 minutes until the mix is pale and fluffy. Stop
and scrape down the sides twice.

While the butter beats, immerse the uncracked eggs in hot tap water
for 5 minutes, then crack and weigh 100 g (3½ oz). Break them up
with a fork and add to the butter mix in four small additions, still
on speed 5 (medium), allowing the creamed base to re-fluff up in
between each addition. Stop and scrape as needed.

Warming the whole egg up means it will incorporate better with the creamed
butter/sugar base. An airy butter/sugar/egg base brings lightness to the
baked frangipane mix.

If the base does ‘break’ and look curdled, just continue. Your frangipane
will bake a little denser but will still be HUGE on flavour.

Stop the mixer, add the almond meal and salt and beat on speed 2
(above low) for 10 seconds. Off the mixer, give the frangipane a final,
thorough stir with a stiff plastic spatula so no butter streaks remain.

Divide the frangipane mix into the dough-lined tart shells to sit
2 mm (¹⁄₁₆in) below the tart tin edge. Smooth the frangipane. Chill the
filled shells, uncovered, for an hour (or covered overnight) before
topping.

There may be a little leftover frangipane in case your tart tins are bigger.
The leftover freezes perfectly.
Adaptrix
Peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries
and apricots
J’adore! Angelina plums, white
nectarines, sour cherries and all
stone fruit are wonderful! Choose
peak summer ripe fruit so there’s no
need to pre-poach or roast. Cut into
pieces and crazy pave (haphazard
placement) the fruit pieces across
the top. Or hasselback a half and
fan slightly as you push it into the
frangipane. Sprinkle almond flakes
in the gaps and finish with butter
and sugar as described.

Other berries or frozen berries
Blueberries, blackberries and
strawberries are all wonderful.

Frozen berries are an all-year-round
fruit option. Pop the berries on
frozen – no need to defrost. Frozen
fruit can slow down the bake, so test
when browned by lifting up a berry
to ensure the frangipane underneath
is set, not liquid. Add extra time if
needed.

Raspberry
These ruby, sweet-sour jewels and
buttery almonds are a perfect match.

Because baking can turn them
into brown, bitter nubbins of their
former glorious selves, opt for frozen
ones and bake at a cooler 160°C
(320°F) for 1 hour to gently coax the
frangipane to baked while leaving
the fruit unscorched. If making a
larger tart, tumble the berries on
top, then scatter the almonds in the
gaps between so it all looks natural
and effortless and perfectly it-woke-
up-like-this.