Ingredients

• 300g/10½oz plain flour
• 150g/5½oz salted butter
• 120g/4oz icing sugar
• 4 free-range eggs
• 3 yolks only
• 1 whole
• beaten for egg wash
• 1 tsp rose water
• 150g/5½oz blanched whole almonds
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 6 free-range eggs
• yolks only
• 140g/5oz caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz plain flour
• 15g/½oz cornflour
• 500ml/18fl oz full-fat milk
• 25g/1oz butter
• chopped into 1cm/½in cubes
• 1 x 450g tin lychees
• drained and broken up
• 75g/2½oz ground almonds
• 75g/2½oz icing sugar
• 5g/ 1/8oz red food colouring
• 55g/2oz free-range egg whites
• 75g/2½oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 1 tbsp raspberry liqueur
• ½ tbsp rose water
• ½ tsp agar-agar
• 250g/9oz mascarpone
• 2 x 200g punnet raspberries
• 200g/7oz caster sugar (exactly the same weight as the raspberries)

Directions

• For the pastry
• preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Combine the flour
• butter and icing sugar in a food processor. Add the egg yolks and rose water and mix together into a dough then transfer to the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
• On a floured surface
• roll out the pastry 2-3mm/ 1/8in thick. Press into a flan tin
• leaving any surplus pastry overhanging the edge
• cover with scrunched up baking paper and put baking beans on top (to stop the pastry base puffing up when baking). Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry just begins to colour.
• Meanwhile
• for the caramelised almonds
• break up the almonds in a food processor
• then transfer them to a clean dry frying pan and toast until they are an even golden-brown. Remove from the heat.
• Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread the almonds over it in an even layer. In a small pan
• make a caramel by heating the sugar and one tablespoon of water over a medium/high heat. When all the sugar has dissolved and the caramel has turned a golden-brown colour
• pour it over the almonds. Set aside until the caramel is completely cool and has hardened
• then blend briefly in a food processor until crushed.
• Remove the pastry from the oven and take off the greaseproof paper and baking beans. Trim any excess pastry with a knife and brush the case with beaten egg.
• Press half of the caramelised almonds into the sides and base of the pastry. Bake the tart case for another 10 minutes
• until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• For the lychee crème pâtissière
• whisk the egg yolks
• 70g/2½oz of the sugar and all the flour and cornflour in a large bowl until smooth.
• In a pan
• heat the milk and the remaining 70g/2½oz sugar. Stir in a third of the hot milk to the egg mix and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and whisk until combined
• then quickly transfer the mixture to a pan set over a low/medium heat.
• Stir the crème pâtissière constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes
• then stir in the butter and lychees. Sprinkle icing sugar on top to prevent a skin forming and transfer to the fridge to chill.
• For the mini macaroons
• preheat the oven 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• In a bowl
• combine the ground almonds
• icing sugar and food colouring then set aside. In a stand mixer
• whisk the egg whites on the fastest speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• In a pan
• heat the sugar and 35ml/1fl oz water to 118C/245F (use a sugar thermometer to measure this). While whisking
• slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites to make a stable meringue. Then gently fold in the almond and icing sugar mixture until completely combined. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 2cm/¾in circles onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Set the macaroons aside to form a crust
• for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the crème mascarpone. Place a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl and whisk until hot. Remove from the heat and add the liqueur
• rose water and agar-agar.
• Place the bowl back on top of the pan of simmering water
• and whisk for 4-5 minutes
• or until the crème is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Fill a large bowl with iced water and sit the crème bowl in it. When the crème has cooled slightly
• whisk in the mascarpone
• then transfer to the fridge to chill.
• For the jam glaze
• put a small saucer in the freezer. Mash one punnet of raspberries with a fork and push through a sieve in to a medium sized pan. Place over a medium heat and cook for five minutes before adding the sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 minutes more
• or until it has reached the setting point (test this by placing a spoon full of jam on the chilled saucer. Let the jam cool for a minute and then push it gently with your finger: if the jam wrinkles
• it has reached its setting point). Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Once the jam has cooled
• use it to paint each of the remaining raspberries.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Bake the rested macaroons in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to the fridge until ready to serve.
• To serve
• remove the pastry base from the flan tin. Pipe the cooled lychee crème pâtissière onto the pastry base and smooth the top to make a flat layer. Place glazed raspberries on top in straight
• parallel lines
• leaving a raspberry’s width between each one. Pipe small swirls of the cooled crème mascarpone in the spaces between the raspberries and place a mini macaroon on top of every third swirl and sprinkle caramelised almonds onto the others.