Strawberry and Almond Divine

I planned on this recipe coming out like the frangipani tarts I have made before, but the creme patisserie that I made from a fairly distant memory didn't set as I had remembered. As I result I ended up folding it into whipped soy cream for a smooth, indulgent dessert. It was licked clean from the plates.

This makes 1 smallish tart, for 2-3 people (or would make 2 individual small tarts). The recipe would be easily doubled to make a larger dessert. The soy whipping cream was fairly hard to get hold of, I ordered it especially in from my local health food shop. The brand is Soya Too.

Ingredients:

For the almond pastry...

75g plain flour

50g ground almonds

25g vegetable margarine (the firm kind, like Stork)

40g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 Tbs cold water

For the creme patisserie filling...

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsb vanilla essence

50g caster sugar

1 Tbs cornflour

300ml non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)

150ml soy whipping cream

To top it off...

4 large, ripe strawberries

a little honey, melted

To make:

1) Turn the oven to 200°c or gas mark 6 and grease the pie dish/ramekins you want to use.

2) Combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar and margarine in a bowl, and either rub together or whizz in a food processor until it has the appearance of fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk, mix well, then add the water and mix until well combined. Put the mix in the fridge for at least half an hour.

3) Roll the pastry out on a clean, floured surface and line the pie dish. Cut some greaseproof paper to fit in the bottom of the dish, lay it over the pastry and then cover with some raw beans, or ceramic baking beans for the posh option. Bake it blind it in the oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove the beans and baking paper and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely and turn off the oven.

4) Put the milk in a small saucepan over a medium/low heat and to warm.

5) In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg yolks well, then gradually add the sugar and beat until really thick. Add the vanilla.

6) Spoon about a tablespoon of the warm milk into the egg mix and mix together well, then add it all to the pan with the cornflour, heating the mix and stirring continuously for about 10 minutes.

7) Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and leave to cool completely in the fridge.

8) Whip the soy cream with electric beaters for about 2 minutes until stiff. Gently fold this, a spoonful at a time, into the creme patisserie. Put this mix in the fridge.

9) Cut the strawberries in half lengthwise and melt the honey.

10) Spoon the creme patisserie into the pastry shell, arrange strawberry halves on top and brush a little honey over the strawberries. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.