A heart tart not a tart with a heart. We have a double whammy, this Croatian almond tart not only falls into our Croatian dishes category, but it's heart design affords it a place in day seven of the Taste Trail love week. It looks more complicated to make than it actually is, if you can fold a paper fan then you can make a rapska torta.
ingredients
- 750g shortcrust pastry
- 200g ground almonds
- 175g dark brown sugar
- 20ml cherry liqueur
- 1 egg
- Finely grated peel of one orange
- Finely grated peel of one lemon
to decorate
- Almonds, oranges, lemons
NUTRITIONAL CONTENT PER PORTION
- Calories | 372
- Fat | 22g
Serves | 12
Prep Time | 20 minutes
Cooking Time | 25 minutes
method
1. Preheat your oven to 200°c.
2. In a large bowl mix together the almonds, sugar, orange peel and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and liqueur. Stir from the inside out until all the liquids are incorporated and you have a smooth paste.
3. Roll out half of the pastry thinly and cut into a swirly heart.

4. Spoon the filling on the pastry, leaving an edge of about 1cm, run a fork over the top of the filling so you get little ridges.

5. Roll out the second half of the pastry thinly and cut into strips 2cm in width and as long as you can get them. Use these strips to build up the sides of your heart, crimping them as you go and pressing them into the base.

6. Scrumple up LOTs of tinfoil and fill the void of the heart. Fold up some more foil and use it to support the sides. I didn't do this, hence no photograph, it will help stop your pastry from expanding out of control. Bake for 25 minutes and decorate with almonds, orange and lemon slices.
