It has been a beautifully warm February and Sunday was one of those days that you just felt the seasons starting to change. I knew I wanted to bake something for Sunday Dinner at my parents and when I woke up and realized it was going to be a Spring-ish day, I knew it had to be fruity.
I am willing Spring to come one bake at a time.
We had a busy morning planned and Dan was going into work for a bit, so while the boys ate breakfast and watched cartoons, I threw the tart dough together so it could rest and cool while we were out.
Sawyer had a friend's birthday party at the local Bowling Alley, and my parents offered to watch Bowie since I was taking Sawyer solo. Bowen is a BEAST that sometimes cannot be contained. Sawyer had a great time with all his buddies and was so good at bowling he asked me to stop helping him because I am not good at all...
Dan picked-up the Bo-barian from my parents on his way home. By the time Sawyer and I got home, Bowen was napping and Dan and Sawyer were ready to do some yard work, giving me some alone time to put the tart together in peace while I wrapped up The Great British Baking Show - Series 6 for the 3rd time.
What is Frangipane?
A Frangipane is basically and Pastry Cream made from ground almonds (almond flour), sugar, and egg. It is very easy to put together and can be flavored in a variety of ways. When baked, it has a cake like top with a creamy delicious middle.
Two notes about this bake:
The tart crust is an enriched short crust so it is very dry. Trust the recipe and the process. DO NOT add any liquid that is not in the recipe or the crust will be tough and chewy.
Get creative with the flavors. I LOVE fruit based baked goods, and I love adding lemon zest or orange zest to my fruit based desserts. If you love Coffee, try it. If you love Anise, try it. If you love Pistachio, try it. Don't confine yourself to Almond or Vanilla extract or just the flavoring of any given recipe.
Raspberry Frangipane Tart
Basic Tart Crust
1 Cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
Mix flour, sugar and salt until well combined.
Add chilled butter cut into cubes.
Work butter and flour together with your hands until the flour becomes clumpy. It should look like small bits of butter through out the bowl.
Beat egg in a small bowl and add to flour mixture and mix. The dough will not look like it is going to come together but keep mixing and kneading it together and it will come together in a ball.
Work the dough until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge or 30 mins in the freezer.
Frangipane Filling
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
In an stand mixer, cream almond flour, sugar, and butter until smooth.
Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix.
Add flour and mix until mixture becomes pale in color and is well combined and creamy.
To Assemble
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out dough so it covers the whole tart tin and then some. Press into a lightly greased tart tin.
Blind bake the tart crust for 10 to 15 minutes until it is very lightly browned. Remove excess crust dough around the tart tin.
Add a thin layer of Raspberry Jam to the bottom of the tart, then pipe or gently spread the frangipane filling over the jam.
Arrange fresh Raspberries onto the frangipane.
Bake 35 - 40 minutes until the Frangipane become golden brown.
Once completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.
***To make the Raspberry Jam, cook a carton of fresh raspberries down in a pot with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of water and zest of one lemon until raspberries are completely broken down and jam thickens. Should take about 10 minutes on medium heat. Siv seeds out if desired.