Strawberry & brown butter frangipane tart

For the brown butter, in a medium saucepan, warm 250g butter over a medium heat. Swirl it occasionally and keep an eye on it as it bubbles and the milk solids turn brown. Once the butter has turned a medium-dark brown and smells nutty, take it off the heat and keep swirling. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove most of the browned milk solids (discard these) then chill to harden slightly, stirring occasionally.

For the pastry, in a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 125g cubed butter and a pinch of salt together until they resemble breadcrumbs (or pulse in a food processor). Gradually mix in 1 beaten egg until the dough comes together. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop ½ the strawberries into small pieces and put in a saucepan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp golden caster sugar. After about 10 minutes, once the liquid has been released, whizz the berries using a stick blender (or in an upright blender), then add the lemon juice and return to a medium heat to thicken (around 15 minutes). Remove from the heat once it has thickened and allow to cool and thicken further to the consistency of jam. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it’s just a bit bigger than a deep 23cm tart tin. Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin and unroll it over the tin. Carefully press the pastry into all the corners and trim the edges. Prick the base several times with a fork and chill for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, line with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 170ºC, gas mark 3.

In a large bowl, cream together the cooled brown butter and 185g sugar. Once pale and smooth, add ¹⁄³ of the almonds with 1 egg, beating well before adding the next ¹⁄³ of almonds and egg; repeat with the final almonds and 2 eggs, then mix in the flour and lemon zest.

Halve the remaining strawberries lengthways. Use a spatula to spread the cooked strawberry mixture evenly across the pastry base. Spread the almond mixture on top, making it as level as possible. Decorate with the halved strawberries, cut side down, starting around the outside and working in. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the surface is golden brown and there are no pale, uncooked spots. Cool in the tin, dust with icing sugar and serve with crème fraîche.