Bakewell is not just a pudding, not just a tart, but is, in fact, a town in Derby­shire. According to Regula Ysewijn, author of “The British Baking Book,” a cook at the local Rutland Arms made a mistake when following a recipe and the result was called Bakewell pudding, a custard baked in a puff pastry shell often layered with jam or candied peel and flavored with smashed apricot kernels. (The other theory is that this pudding had been around a long time—a precursor recipe appeared in the 1727 cookbook “The Compleat Housewife”—and was named Bakewell to promote the town.)

The tart is a different animal than the pudding and is based on frangipane. Following tradition, we used sugar, almonds, flour, butter and eggs to make the filling. Instead of candied peel, we opted for blueberries (there is a cherry Bakewell tart, although a more modern version). The bottom layer of the tart is blueberry preserves (instead of the traditional raspberry), then the almond filling, then macerated blueberries on top, sprinkled with sliced almonds.

This is a relatively thin tart and the texture is almost cakey rather than custardy. We needed to play with the ratio of fat (butter) to flour and almonds to avoid a greasy texture. We also found that macerating the blueberries (we crushed some of them as well) gave the baked top crust a bit more sparkle and shine and enhanced the flavor of the fruit itself.

For the crust, we made a rich dough with egg yolk and sugar but also added whole-wheat flour along with all-purpose. This makes a well-­flavored, tender dough that can be molded into the pan with fingers without having to grab a rolling pin.

Although the provenance of this British favorite is a bit dicey, the result is a classic: a frangipane tart married to fruit, in this case macerated blueberries. It is also a good candidate for making ahead and will store nicely for a few days.

If you love British baking as much as I do, you might want to pick up Regula’s book, which offers pudding with names such as General Satisfaction, Eve’s Pudding, Queen of Puddings, Black Caps, Toad-in-the-Hole, Snake Fritters, Apple Tansy and Poor Knights of Windsor, proving that, at least when it comes to the kitchen, that there will always be an England.

Christopher Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."