Recipe | Bakewell Tart Squares

These sweet squares can be eaten on the hoof or while reclined on a picnic blanket. Cream optional but very much recommended

Serves 6-8

For the pastry:
150g butter or margarine (margarine makes an easier to handle pastry, but use butter if you prefer)
300g plain flour
50g caster sugar
1 egg

For the filling:
5 tbsp raspberry jam
200g raspberries
250g butter, softened
250g ground almonds
250g caster sugar
5 eggs
50g flaked almonds

To serve:
Icing sugar
Whipped cream
Mint leaves

1 Start off by making the pastry. Rub the butter/margarine into the flour and sugar until you have a sand-like consistency.

2 Beat the egg and then bring it together with the flour mixture on a lightly floured surface to form a smooth pastry.

3 Roll the pastry out to fit the tin you’re using – you can use a 30cm diameter round tin or a 22 x 33cm tin. It should be about 3mm thick but make it 5mm if you love pastry!

4 Preheat the oven to 180C/ Fan 160C/Gas 4. Place baking beans or rice on top of the pastry and bake for 45 mins, or until pale golden.

5 Once baked, remove the beans or rice and allow the pastry to cool, although keep the oven on.

6 Once cooled, spread the jam over the base and distribute the raspberries evenly.

7 Put the butter, ground almonds and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Dollop the mixture into the pastry case and smooth out, then sprinkle the almonds over the top. Return to the oven and bake for 45 mins more, or until golden and set.

8 Once cooled, dust with icing sugar, cut into squares or slices and serve with whipped cream, fresh berries and mint leaves.

This recipe is taken from our May ‘Gathering’ feature, which this month is a menu for a woodland picnic. It also includes recipes for Cornflake Chicken, Egg, Beetroot & Potato Salad with Dill, Baby Carrots with Whipped Feta and Apple & Mint Punch. The recipes are by Becky Cook and the photography is by Will Heap.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things for picnics…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Sunflower Heart Tarte Tatin

Sunflowers, when prepared properly, have a texture like aubergine and taste like a perfumed artichoke heart, making for a tasty seasonal tart.

Ingredients

Serves 4

10g butter
6 shallots, finely sliced
4 small or 2 large sunflower heads, with petals
1 glass of white wine
2 tsp oregano leaves
2 tsp thyme leaves
320g puff pastry
25g mature cheddar, grated

To make

1 Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a pan over a medium low heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat for about 10 mins, or until golden. Set aside.

2 To prepare your sunflower hearts, remove any petals (set aside) and pull off the seeds (if they don’t push out easily, lever out with a spoon). Next, use a knife to scrape the paper cases from the spongy base, discard, and trim away the green parts of the flower head, including the leaves and where the stem joins underneath. You should be left with a round, white, slightly spongy base of the flower head.

3 Slice the spongy bases into long strips and place in a bowl along with the wine and half of the oregano and thyme. Submerge the strips under the wine, ensuring 128 that they’re covered, otherwise they’ll oxidise and will go brown.

4 Return the pan of shallots to the hob, adding the sunflower strips, the wine and the remaining oregano and thyme leaves. Heat until the wine evaporates and the sunflower strips start to soften.

5 Line a round 32cm dish with baking paper. Spoon the sunflower and shallot mixture into the middle of the dish and leave to cool.

6 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. When the filling is cool, roll out the puff pastry to the same size as the dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the filling and carefully place the pastry disc on top, ensuring all the ingredients are tucked inside. Press down the pastry and tuck in the edges. Prick a couple of holes in the centre to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35–40 mins, or until golden.

7 Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a serving platter. Discard the baking paper and scatter over the reserved sunflower petals to serve.

Taken from Buds & Blossoms by Liz Knight (Hardie Grant). Photography: Kim Lightbody

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ideas for summer lunches…

More from our blog…

Recipe | French apple tart

An orchard pudding with a bit of ooh la la!

This buttery French tart is a lovely way to round off an early autumn meal but a cold slice is also excellent with your morning coffee the following day.

Serves 6

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp plum jam (use greengage, apricot or rhubarb jam if you prefer)
5 small apples of your choice, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Double cream, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof parchment.
2 Put the pastry on the lined baking tray and, using a round-bladed knife, gently score a 2-3cm border around French apple tart Buttery pastry, sweet jam and fresh apples combine to create a classic dessert or teatime treat the edge – this will help to keep the sticky cooking juices from escaping. Inside the border, prick the pastry all over with a fork, then spread over a very thin layer of jam.
3 In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples with the lemon juice and sugar. Arrange the slices in overlapping rows over the pastry, then sprinkle with the cinnamon.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 mins until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, slide the tart from the greaseproof paper to a serving plate.
5 In a small saucepan, gently heat the remaining jam with a splash of water, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the apples, then set the tart aside to cool.
6 Slice and serve with a jug of cream on the side.

This recipe is part of our Autumn Picnic gathering feature in our September issue., with recipes by Kay Prestney, including apple and parsnip soup, orchard salad, and pork and apple rissoles.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our September issue…

More apples ideas…