Ingredients

• 250g/9oz caster sugar
• 75ml/3fl oz water
• 250g/9oz ground almonds
• 1 free-range egg white
• lightly whisked
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• 500g/1lb 2oz all butter ready-made puff pastry
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• 200g/7oz raspberries
• 50g flaked almonds
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 1½ tbsp icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 200g/7oz raspberries
• 1½ tbsp icing sugar
• plus extra for dusting

Directions

• Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until dissolved then boil the syrup until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage
• 100C/220F (use a sugar thermometer to measure this).
• Place the ground almonds
• egg white and almond extract into a bowl. Pour over the sugar syrup and mix vigorously until the mixture forms a thick paste. Chill the marzipan mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hours
• or until firm.
• Meanwhile
• preheat the oven to 210C/425F/Gas 7.
• Roll the puff pastry out thinly on a floured surface. Cut out 4 x 12cm/5in circles
• place onto a baking tray and score the centre of each circle with a knife. Brush each pastry circle with the beaten egg.
• Roll the chilled marzipan out to 0.5cm/¼in thick. (If the marzipan is too hard to rollout
• allow it to warm slightly at room temperature.) Cut out 4 x 11cm/4in circles and place each circle on top of a pastry circle.
• Arrange the raspberries in concentric circles on top of each circle of marzipan so that all of the marzipan is covered. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
• Transfer to the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes
• or until the pastry is risen and golden-brown. Remove the tarts from the oven and dust with icing sugar immediately.
• Meanwhile whisk the double cream in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla extract.
• For the raspberry purée
• blend the raspberries and icing sugar in a food processor to a purée. Sieve the sauce into a bowl.
• To serve
• spoon some of the raspberry purée onto each of 4 serving plates and top with a tart. Top with a quenelle of the vanilla cream.