It’s been a grey and icy weekend here in Bristol. I have been out with YakTrax over my boots to grip into the ice, I am getting too unsteady on my feet to slide and skid, though I have fond memories of setting up iceslides on the street when I was younger and more bendy. We have played briefly in the park, wandered down through the wood, kicked a few snowballs into the air to be blown to smithereens by jumping poodles, inspected a magnificent seated snowman hanging out on a bench in Quarry Park, and climbed over small saplings brought down by the weight of snow on their branches.
Zeb inspects snowman in Quarry Park
It is very quiet though, I have seen the neighbours but that is about it. So what better way to spend a few spare hours than to imagine you are baking with a friend? I suggested to Heidi @ Steps On the Journey that we have a go at TheLittleLoaf’s Chocolate Frangipane Tarts. I was seduced by TheLittleLoaf’s lovely writing and her gorgeous photography as I have been many times before, but usually I look, bookmark and say “I must make this” and then I forget. I am very forgetful.
The recipe we did can be found in its beautiful entirety on by cliicking here. I am just going to include some pictures and notes from making it before they are all gone!
the thinnest pastry I have probably ever made!
This is a really clear recipe. I don’t have tartlet tins with loose bottoms, which I realised when I read the recipe properly this morning, so I improvised with these tins which worked fine.
An array of improvised tart tins
I used all the pastry and filling and made 4 4” tarts which are bigger than they look and hold a lot of filling and 6 little flat 3 “ tarts which are more like a small flat jam tart. The hour in the freezer was the time out crunching across the icy wastes of suburban Bristol with the poodles. Brian commented that we could just have left them in the garden!
All puffed up out of the oven
I needed to adjust the baking temperatures to accommodate the different sizes, the big ones took a bit longer and the small ones less time, but I didn’t burn anything and I think they are cooked OK.
I wasn’t going to skate up to Waitrose to see if they had fresh cherries on a Sunday, so I carefully peeled some segments of clementines to try and stay true to the spirit of the recipe with a fresh fruit on the top. They look a bit 1970s don’t they?
I also finally used this little chocolate microwave melting pot thing that I got from Lakeland and it worked beautifully and I got a lot less chocolate over me than I do usually when I melt chocolate.
The fiddly part for me is always working with pastry, it really isn’t my strong point, but chilling it helps, and freezing it definltely stopped it shrinking while it baked, so I have learnt a useful tip there.
Anyway these are rich and delicious and everything a dark chocolate-almond loving person could want in a tea time treat! Thank you Little Loaf for the recipe! I need to get better at presentation but I was so relieved they didn’t fall apart with their thin and delicate pastry that I was perfectly content with the results. And here is Heidi’s post, an almost simultaneous broadcast! Hee hee! I love blogging at times like this :)
from a recipe by thelittleloaf
Zeb Bakes 
They look wonderful! How nice for you to be baking with Heidi! :) I’m clicking over to her post right now.. xx
It was fun, one minute we were talking about fudge and the next, we were on a mission :)
I bet your lakeland jug would be great for melting butter in a uniform way too.
The frangipanes looks super. Coincidently, I revisited Dan L’s pineapple frangipane recipe in the week – no pastry though.
Scrummy baking, Joanna. xx
That’s a good idea, I am sure it would be perfect for that too. I don’t know the pineapple frangipane recipe – I will have a look for it. In the meantime, there are some of these left…
Oh really!!!
What wonderful looking tarts. I think with all the ice that’s around it would be much nicer to stay inside and cook xx
It was good to bake but I get ‘cabin fever’ and like to be out in the fresh air too. We look set to continue with this cold spell for a while.
Oh- yours turned out so very nice! Mine did, too, even though I’m not really sure about some of my conversion amounts.
AND- I love the benched snowman… he looks like he’s waiting for a bus!
He was the sort of snowman that makes you do a double-take, exactly waiting for the bus. I love your heart shaped tins and your enthusiasm, that was fun!
now, team one of these little beauties up with a a little coffee and I’d be set for the afternoon. They do look lovely!
The baby ones are a perfect mouthful to go with a coffee, the bigger ones ask to be shared. Thanks Brydie !
I love the snowman too – I suspect the other dog just leaving the picture may have left a message there! We don’t need snow boots for dogs here but I have just discovered that you can get shoes to prevent them from burning their paws on the hot pavements. I only take Spot out in the early morning in the hot weather.
Those tarts look so good! My daughter sent me one of those little red chocolate melting pots from Lakeland (we are both Lakeland addicts) – cute and saves a lot of mess.
You know I always think of you when I post Zeb pictures, I debated whether to post this one or the one I snapped immediately after, where, ahem, he cocks his leg. It is terrible being a Lakeland addict but they have the best customer service for which I have nothing but praise.
These look lovely, and how much fun to bake w/ a friend. I love any tartlet that is even remotely chocolate-y and almond-y. I will have to try these sometime, as they do look perfect for tea or coffee. I always keep almond meal in my fridge now even though its a bit expensive (I know I could make my own). I tried macarons for the first time with it last week.
I’ve never ever seen a snow person like that before. How cool! and if you hadn’t gone for a walk, you’d have missed him. I’m like you, I love to get out of the house, no matter what the temp. and condition is like. Its mighty cold here now too. Stay safe and warm!!
Thanks Mel and thanks for letting me know that your comment hadn’t shown up. I don’t know why it didn’t. We have had many icy and muddy walks since then, but we always go out. I might make some easy amaretti this weekend, my one attempt at macaroons was a bit pathetic and I might move the ground almonds into the fridge if there are some left. Good idea !
I love amaretti cookies! I bought a bag once for a project, and hubby would not touch the unused cookies, so I got them all to myself :P
xx
This is a new ‘frangipane’ for me – the one I’m familiar with is a tropical tree of some dramatic beauty – however, I like the sound and looks of yours, and I’m always up for the experience of a new taste – I’ll tuck it away for the right time.
Frangipane is usually some combination of ground almonds, eggs, butter, sugar, sometimes flour too for cost, and can be plain or flavoured. Lovely in a tart with plums or cherries, or any fruit or a layer of jam twixt pastry and frangipane. It can be used as a topping over a layer of cooked fruit as well. I think I like saying the word quite a lot, it has a nice sound :)
I love frangipane too – both tree and edible variety. Teamed with chocolate those little tarts look lovely, I like the bite cross section – almonds , fruit and chocolate antioxidants – all so very good for you! Love the seated snowman: he looks as if he’s trying to be desperately polite while saying to Zeb “no pee please!”.
I am going to experiment some more with frangipane, a friend of mine makes and freezes it and says it defrosts well and you just have to whip it a bit and that sounds preferable to having a rancid tub of ground almonds, they seem to go stale very quickly. The snowman was just lovely wasn’t he? I have never seen a frangipane tree, I will go and look them up as you and Doc say they are so lovely.
The frangipani tree has the most wonderful perfume and the flowers have a lovely soft leathery texture, but they bruise very easily and can really only be enjoyed for a short time once they leave the tree. In winter the tree is completely bear with odd thick, finger-like branches. I keep almond meal in the fridge or freezer because it goes rancid so quickly otherwise, particularly in our warm climate.
For some reason my comment didn’t work yesterday, so I’m back:) I love the look of your tartlets, I always go for something chocolate-y and almond-y. How fun to bake w/ a friend!! I’d love to join in on a bake a-long sometime too. I keep a bag of almond meal in my fridge all the time now. I’m too lazy to make my own. I just used a good bit of it last week to try macarons for the first time (of course they were chocolate)
I love the snowman! I’ve never seen a full bodied one like that made on a park bench. When I’m well, I too cannot stand to be cooped up. I would be about traipsing in the snow, breathing in the fresh air. xx Mel
I”m up for a bake a long over the weekend, Have you got a must bake this soon idea on your mental list?
Well, my mental list is pretty long, but nothing simpler is coming to mind right now. I’ll be free this coming week to bake too. Hubby is going to be out of town on business.
We’ll have a think then and see what we can come up with. I made a lemon drizzle cake yesterday and if I have a minute I will write a post later on today to catch up with the week. Got to take dogs out now before it pours with rain again xx
They look wonderful Joanna and I’m very impressed with your thin pastry. Pastry is my nemesis, or one of them anyway ;-) Gorgeous flavours, but I would expect nothing less from The Little Loaf and you too of course.
Thanks Choclettte! I love the way the flavour of the dark bitter chocolate is softened but not oversweetened in combination with the almonds. I will make these again one day as they were so very good!
I’ve seen photos of your snowfall!! What a great idea to bake together, a perfectly lovely way to enjoy an afternoon and a treat to finish:) These turned out just so pretty!! xx
Hi Babs! I know massive quantities of snow fall in Calgary – I have been in Alberta in wintertime, you cope much better than we do. Our weather changes all the time and we are like small children constantly surprised. I love baking along with friends, one of life’s pleasures.
Mmmm Looks like ideal bake to chase away mid-winter blues.
Thanks Celia ! Hope you are well.
I’m sure you’ll find more different interesting and yummy accoutrements to top off the little tartlets. How about wine whipped/sweetened whipping cream? :)
Rarely put cream on cakes or desserts for us as B has asthmatic response to uncooked/unfermented dairy products, but it would look very pretty :)
Oh these look so cute and delicious! Super thin pastry too, well done… so hungry now!