FRUIT AND ALMOND CREAM TART

1. Measure flour, sugar, salt and place in a mixing bowl. Measure the water, making sure it is very cold.

2. Roughly work the butter and lard or vegetable fat into the flour mixture with your fingertips. Mix the cold water - except for a tablespoon - into the dough with a fork until everything is just mixed. Use the remaining water as needed. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and quickly shape it into a 2 cm thick disc so that the butter does not become soft. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The dough must be well chilled so that it can be rolled out easily.

3. For the almond cream: Measure out all the ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Then add the ground almonds and then the cream. When everything is well combined, gently stir in the flour.

4. After the dough has been chilled for two hours, preheat the oven to 200°C (gas: level 3, fan: 180°C). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about 3mm thick. Also flour the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking.

5. Cut out six individual circles for the smaller   tart cases  , leaving a 1cm border. Grease the tart cases and place the circles of dough in the tart cases. Fill in the almond cream and top with apple or pear slices.

6. Bake 35 minutes. Check the color after 25 minutes. If the crust or filling gets too dark, cover the tarts with some aluminum foil for the rest of the baking time. The tarts are ready when they are golden brown. After they've cooled a bit, I like to spread them with a little apricot jam. This gives them a wonderful shine!

Tips and tricks:

To get a really nice, tender base, I cut the butter and lard or vegetable fat into small cubes and put everything in the freezer while I prepare the other ingredients. Try it!