Tarte de amêndoa,uma delicia para fim de semana

I have always had a soft spot for a Portuguese almond tart, but never ever been able to replicate the one I had at a Portuguese cafe in Bloomsbury in London.Well now I think I´ve found a pretty close match for that memory. I´ll let you know in an hour or two when I´ve "deliberated, cogitated and digested."

Portuguese almond tart
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Grease the hollows of the fluted edge especially well, as the topping part of the tart will stick.

FOR THE BASE
125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
200g (1 cup) sugar
2 eggs
Splash (1/2 tsp.) vanilla extract, or seeds scraped from 1/2 large plump vanilla bean
Pinch salt
200g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in salt and flour. Spread evenly over bottom of tart pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool out of the oven for about 30 minutes. Increase oven temp to 400°.

FOR THE TOPPING
125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
60g (1/4 cup) heavy cream
150g (3/4 cup) sugar
200g (2 cups sliced almonds)
Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in cream. Blend in almonds. Spread evenly over top of cooled baked cake. Bake for 20 minutes or until topping is bubbling and browned. Cool completely before serving, but serve at room temperature.

THE VERDICT
If you like your desserts sweet but not cloying,this is one for you.It has a buttery almond filling and a crunchy, nutty, caramelised topping.My only suggestion might be to use a slightly smaller and deeper tart pan, then each slice you serve would have more depth to it.