My dad emails me recipes almost on a weekly basis. Things he sees that he likes the look of, recipes he thinks I would like to make, recipes he’s tried and thinks I would like, you get the idea.

I tend to save all of these recipes as bookmarks on my computer, something I can go back to when I need inspiration. But, I saved some of them to make with him while I was in Portugal with my parents. I say “with him” it was more like “for him (and Mum)”. This tart is an adaptation of a recipe that he sent me ages ago, which I saved to make with my parents, as I knew it was a dessert that they would enjoy (and my Mum is not a huge dessert person). So, I spent some time one morning making this tart for after the Mojo Pork.

My parents have this beautiful, big, open-plan kitchen, which makes cooking so much more relaxing (so much counter space). Obviously the beauty of an open-plan kitchen is the ability to talk to everyone while you’re cooking, so you’re never shut off from other people. In my parents’ house, it’s the same idea, but it’s not just about seeing and talking to other people, it’s also about drinking and snacking together while food is being prepared.

I’m going to miss their large, open-plan kitchen and all of the beautiful produce and quality, fresh ingredients that Portugal has to offer. It’s my last day of my holiday, tomorrow morning I head back home to my tiny kitchen. It’s been an incredible 5 weeks of holiday, and I’m always so grateful that I get this time to spend with friends and family. It’s just always so much harder to go back to work after a long break. But, I can’t complain – I’m very lucky to have the job and holidays that I have.

It will be good to get back into a routine, and see my friends from home, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss the clean air, the blue skies, my parents, the lifestyle. I should take comfort in the idea that I can always come back.

This tart is a perfect symbol of summer. The creamy white chocolate reminds you of ice cream by the beach, the spice of the cardamom ignites memories of the heat, and the tang of the raspberries conjures images of fresh summer fruit. Or you know, it just tastes bloody delicious and you don’t need to associate it with anything.

As an indicator, my Mum who is not much of a dessert person (she’ll have a bite of everyone else’s desserts, or will have a bite-size ice cream bar) had a slice every night that we were at home. Now that’s saying something.

Ingredients

150 grams raw walnuts
250 grams raw, unsalted almonds
180 grams unsalted butter
pinch of salt
250 grams mascarpone
100 ml single cream
300 grams white chocolate
seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed
300 grams raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and lay the nuts on it in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes until aromatic. Remove the nuts and allow to cool slightly.
2. Once cool, blitz half of the nuts in a food processor to a fine crumb. Blitz the other half into a rough crumb. Place the processed nuts in a large bowl.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the nuts and mix thoroughly. Pour the nut mixture into a springform pie or tart tin, and press the mixture into the base and sides. Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
4. Add the marscapone, cream, white chocolate and crushed cardamom seeds to a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until fully melted. Add a pinch of salt, stir and remove from the heat.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the nut base, and place back in the fridge for an hour.
6. In a fine-mesh sieve or strainer over a bowl, mash the raspberries with a fork so that the seeds are left behind, but you have a pure raspberry jus.
7. Using a spoon, scoop small blobs of the raspberry jus onto the almost-set white chocolate. Using the handle of the spoon, swirl the raspberry jus through the tart. Sometimes less is more, and over-swirling can lead to a mess.
8. Place back in the fridge and allow to set for at least 2 hours. Reserve any remaining jus in an air-tight container.
9. Remove tart from the fridge for 5 – 10 minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy with additional raspberry jus drizzled on top.