Frangipane Apple Tart – A Classic French Dessert
One of my favorite things to do in France is walk…. and walk….. and walk. Whether it be along beaches or through wild areas, hiking in the mountains or meandering through historic cities, I want to see it all. My favorite places to walk, by far, are the small, quaint villages. I love the historic architecture, character, and cobblestone streets. One thing I have noticed in all of my walking, no matter which part of France I am in, is the surety that I will find at least one patisserie on my path. Peering in the windows at the artful desserts will always inspire – not only an appetite, but a desire to replicate! This Frangipane Apple Tart is a nod to the beautiful (and tasty) tarts of France.
Taking a moment to “Oooogle” some lovely French patisserie treats I have passed while walking and wandering….
Back to the Tart:
This Frangipane Apple Tart is a classic. For its base, it uses a variation of the traditional Pâte Sucrée which is slightly altered by adding a bit of almond flour to complement the frangipane. Falling midway between a classic pie crust and a cookie, Pâte Sucrée is a rich pastry enriched with egg, butter, and sugar to make a tender crust that’s sandy and crumbly rather than flaky. Traditionally the base for fruit tarts, it can be used for any sweet pastry. I used a more traditional Pâte Sucrée when I made the beautiful Classic French Strawberry tart this summer. https://northwestfrench.com/french-strawberry-tart-classic-recipe/
Frangipane is a lovely, luscious almond-flavored filling used in a variety of pastries and desserts. Smooth, sweet, and nutty, it adds richness and depth to tarts, galettes, and other baked treats. In this Frangipane Apple Tart, the frangipane acts as a smooth, nutty base for the apples to nestle into. It is set between the sweet, shortbread-like crust, and the juicy apples on top.
Topping the tart is a beautiful arrangement of fresh apples, sliced quite thinly. They will bake up beautifully, giving an elegant edge to this dessert. Top it all off with a brushing of melted apricot jelly to give it that “glossy, professional” look. You are set for a perfect end to a meal, or tasty accompaniment for your afternoon coffee.
Frangipane Apple Tart – A Classic French Dessert
Equipment
- 9" Tart Pan with Removable Bottom
- Food Processor
- Mandoline Slicer
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 9 Tbsp Very Cold Butter, cut into small pieces
- 1¼ Cup All Purpose Flour Can be substitute with Einkorn
- 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Finely Ground Almond Flour
- 1 Large Egg, Beaten
Frangipane
- 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
- 1/2 Cup Fine Sugar
- 1 Cup Finely Ground Almond Flour
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour Can be substituted with Einkorn
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Tbsp Calvados (French Apple Brandy) You can substitute with traditional Brandy
- 2 Large Eggs, Beaten
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
Apple Topping
- 2-3 Apples, Thinly Sliced
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- Ice Water
Glaze
- 3-4 Tbsp Apricot Jam
Instructions
Make Pastry:
- Add Flour, Powdered Sugar, Salt, and Almond Flour to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple times to combine ingredients.
- Add Butter pieces. Pulse until the Butter is coarsely cut in, some pieces will be the size of oatmeal, others the size of peas.
- Add beaten Egg, a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.
- Once all of the egg is added, process the dough in long pulses, about 10 seconds each, until it comes together into large clumps.
- Turn out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another large piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a 7"-8" circle that is about 1/2" thick. Wrap edges of plastic wrap under the dough circle, so the dough is completely covered, top and bottom.
- Pop your dough in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until very cold, but not frozen.
- After 15 minutes in freezer, remove the dough and unwrap. Place on a piece of parchment paper and roll out into a 12" round, about 1/8" thick. It will be nice and stiff, and very workable.
- Transfer dough to your tart pan. Press into the corners and up the sides. Trim the edges so there is a little extra sticking over the top of the pan. Gently crimp the top with your thumb and pointer finger to make a "fluted" edge.
- Pop the formed crust back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer.
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Remove tart crust from freezer. Puncture the bottom of the crust all over with a knife, creating vent holes for the steam as it is baking.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and press the bottom down with a piece of foil as it will more than likely have bubbled up a bit. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove Crust from oven. Set aside.
Apples
- While crust is baking prepare the Apples. Cut Apples in half, and core using a paring knife. Use a mandolin (or you can cut very thinly with a knife) to cut the Apple halves into thin slices, shaped like half-moons.
- Place the apples in a bowl filled with ice water and lemon juice until you are ready to assemble the tart. This will prevent them from browning.
Frangipane
- While your crust is baking, combine the Butter, Sugar, Almond Flour, AP Flour, Baking Powder, Brandy, Eggs, and Almond Extract in bowl of electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Assemble and Bake
- Remove crust from oven. Let cool a bit.
- Turn oven up to 400℉.
- Scoop the Frangipane filling into the crust and spread evenly into the crust, taking care to create a level top.
- Arrange apples, peel side up, starting from the outside of the tart, working in in concentric rings. Dab Apples on a paper towel to remove excess water. You will nestle the slices into the frangipane. Depending on the size of the apples, you may only get one ring, with apples in the middle. If you have smaller apples, you may get two rings, then the middle apples.
- Once Apples are added and arranged, pop the tart into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes at 400℉.
- After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350℉ and continue to bake for at least 20 more minutes (or more) until the frangipane is golden and cooked through. Take note of the frangipane in the center of the tart, checking for doneness.
- Remove from oven and brush with warmed Apricot Jam. Leave to cool before removing from the tart pan.
- Serve warm or cold, with a dollop of Whipped Cream. Enjoy!
Beautiful apple Tart,I will try making it soon! I met your daughter, she is a very nice person and she introduced me to your beautiful website, looking forward to recipes and simple life!
So glad you found the site! I know you will have fun trying out the recipes…. and I’m sure my daughter would be happy taste tester! :o)
This is SOOOO lovely!! Do you think it’s possible, or have you tried to make it with any gluten-free flour blends? I keep recommending your site. Always such beautiful presentations. Magnifique!!
Definitely! When we were doing gluten free as a family, I would regularly substitute this pie crust recipe for regular pie crust, using Bob’s Baking Flour mix, and it turned out well. I imagine it should be a great substitute for the pastry shell in this recipe. https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-pie-crust/ You could also simply purchase a frozen GF pie crust and use in the tart pan as the base. As far as the flour in the frangipane, you could definitely substitute it out for a GF all-purpose blend, or even just more almond flour. Enjoy!