Friday, December 4, 2009

APPLE FRANGIPANE TARTS FOR FOUR

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Have I told you how much I love frangipane? The sweet-but-not-too-sweet, almond pastry cream, underneath apples, pears or peaches and enveloped in flaky pastry is just about the best dessert there is. And, though it looks fancy, it’s not hard to make.

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You can use refrigerated pie crusts (such as Pillsbury’s) if you want to make it even easier. I prefer homemade crusts for better flavor and texture; and I like knowing what the ingredients are.

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These are so very good. But please remember that they’ll only be as good as the apples you use. If the apples are not fresh, don’t expect them to magically get better when they’re baked. When baking, always start with the freshest, best ingredients you can find.

Apple Frangipane Tarts for Four
Source: Judy’s Kitchen
Rating: 10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
Pastry -- Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust, or your favorite pie crust (Note: you’ll need about 2 pie crusts)

Frangipane – 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (10X) (I used 1/4 cup 10X sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. NuNaturals Stevia)
3/4 cup almond meal (or very finely ground blanched almonds)
big pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 tsp. almond liqueur (or 1/8 tsp. almond extract)
1 large egg

Beat all ingredients together with a wire whip, or process in a food processor. Set aside.

Apple Filling – 2 Medium tart apples (Rome, Winesap or Pink Lady)
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1-1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, divided use
1-1/2 tsp. almond liqueur (or 1/8 tsp. almond extract)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Peel, core and slice apples in half.

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With cut sides down, slice each half into 1/4” slices, but don’t cut all the way through. Leave the half apple intact, only sliced on top, 3/4 of the way down.
In small saucepan, combine juice, butter, almond liqueur, sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook about 1 minute. Off heat.

Assembly – Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut out 4 (7”) rounds of dough and place on the parchment paper. Divide frangipane equally among the 4 rounds, leaving 1-1/2” on edges open.

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Lay one apple half, cut side down, over each frangipane. Pull up sides of pastry to form a ridge around the apples.
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Using a pastry brush, apply the apple glaze over the apples, brushing some glaze down inside slices. Brush a little glaze over pastry, too.
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Bake 20 minutes, till apples are cooked and pastry is golden brown. Remove with spatula to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
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17 comments:

ann low said...

Looks so delicious. I must try to make this one day~ Thanks for sharing :)

George Gaston said...

Judy, these look incredible! I love to do individual tarts & desserts for my guest. It makes it all a little bit more special.

I definitely will be using your pie crust, it is wonderful, also. Many thanks...

Lyndas recipe box said...

I've bookmarked this Judy; they look amazing and beautiful! I wish I had one now to enjoy with my coffe! Thanks.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I always like step-by-step photos for a recipe and this one looks like a keeper :)

Aggie said...

What pretty tarts!! And you make it look easy enough for me to try...I love how those apples look! Thanks for visiting my blog, I'm so happy to find yours! :)

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Wow, these look so elegant and delicious! the best part is you make it look so easy!

megan said...

This looks so professional! and really unique too :)

Simply Life said...

Oh my, these look just absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Judy, your tarts are gorgeous - really drop-deal gorgeous. How I wish I had a flair for baking. So much to learn. They look so professional they could be in a Patisserie in France.
Sam

Janice said...

Wow, love the look of these.

teresa said...

mmmm, i love these! i'm finally cooking with pear for the first time this weekend!

Barbara said...

I sometimes think I could take a chunk of almond paste and eat it plain so this recipe is right up my alley!
Can't imagine why I've never made frangipane. Your tarts are beautiful and I'll print out the recipe right now.

Lea Ann said...

Beautiful! I must try to make this for the holidays.

Unknown said...

Judy, these look heavenly! My mouth is watering looking at these four beautiful tarts. I love frangipane-recently used it in an apple crostata. Perfect fall dessert. Bravo!

Denise said...

These tarts look so beautiful and tasty. I'm going to make them for Christmas Eve dinner, but I'm so anxious, I may just do a trial run first!

Judy said...

Denise, I hope you'll let me know how they turn out.

Anonymous said...

It looks so nice.I love the ideea.