Frangipane... no, not the exotic bloom (fran-juh-pah-nee), but the almond based pastry cream (fran-juh-pain). I must admit, I was totally unaware of its existence until I heard it referred to in a recent Masterchef programme. But I was immediately intrigued. It's origins are unclear, but apparently a similar version of it existed in France many hundreds of years ago,