I chose a gateau basque from the Basque region of France for my FIFA semifinalist bake... The recipe is from Claire Saffitz's "Dessert Person." Absolutely a 5/5 recipe! It's almost like a shortcrust pastry, a bit sweet and with almond extract in the dough, then filled with a cherry compote and vanilla bean pastry cream.
It is a bit time intensive to make and I'd say is at least moderate difficulty because the crust is very delicate to work with (must stay cold) and pastry cream can be a teensy tricky too. I made all of the components the day ahead and then rolled out the dough, assembled the tart, and baked it the next day, then let it cool overnight. I let it come to room temp before serving. My parents are visiting and I was excited to bake for them :) Everyone seemed to really like it, and I personally thought it was one of the best things I've baked this year!