Squashed peach & almond tarts

Method

• step 1

  Beat almonds, butter, egg and half the sugar in a small bowl until mixed. Roll pastry out to the thickness of a 20p piece and, using a saucer about 13cm in diameter, cut out 4 circles. Lift the circles onto a baking tray and spread each thinly with 1 tbsp of almond mixture, leaving a border. Arrange the peach slices on top in a rosette and chill for at least 10 mins before baking. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

• step 2

  Bake tarts on the top shelf for 10 mins, then remove from oven. Sprinkle liberally with sugar, cover with baking parchment and lay another samesized tray on the top. Flip the trays so that the tarts are upside-down. Bake for 5-10 mins more, until the pastry is crisp and the peach is sticky and caramelised. (If you don’t have two baking sheets, the tarts can be cooked peach-side up for the whole cooking time.)