Summer berry flan

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips, or whizz it in the bowl of a food processor, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the salt and just enough of the cold water to form a dough. Dust a little flour onto a clean bench and roll out the dough so that it’s just big enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed flan tin.

Lightly grease the flan tin and use a rolling pin to lift the dough and gently lay it in the tin. Firmly press the dough into place and trim off any pastry overhanging the rim of the tin. Prick the base in a few places with a fork. Put the lined flan tin into the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. The pastry shell can be frozen at this point or you can assemble and bake the tart and freeze it when it has cooled.

To make the filling, place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a food processor and whiz until it forms a pale mixture. Add the eggs and continue to whiz until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the ground almonds, flour and vanilla essence. The mixture can be placed in an airtight container in the fridge for a day, but no longer.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Spread the almond mixture into the prepared chilled pastry case and scatter over the berries. If you are using frozen berries, don’t defrost them first.

Bake the flan in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until it is golden and set. The filling will continue to firm as the tart cools. Serve warm or cold, with cream or ice cream.