One Perfect Bite: Raspberry and Frangipane Tart

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Raspberry and Frangipane Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been working my way through the raspberries we picked last weekend. Earlier in the week, I used a portion of them to test tonight's featured recipe, which comes from Family Circle magazine. It's pretty good and if you are a fan of berries I think you'll like the tart. Raspberries, lightly tossed with lemon sugar, are piled into a buttery pastry shell and then covered with frangipane, an almond flavored pastry cream. While I liked the tart filling, I found the pastry detailed in the recipe below to be tough. Next time I make this, and I'll do that soon, I'll use my favorite pie crust to line the tart shell. If you are looking for something a bit different to serve on Father's Day, you might want to give this tart a try. It is not hard to make and the freestanding shell gives the dessert a decidedly European air. The tart should be chilled before eating, so make sure to have it ready and in the refrigerator several hours before you plan to serve it. It unfortunately, is not a good keeper, so it should be made the day it will be eaten. If you use your favorite pie crust recipe rather than the one below, I know you will be pleased. Here is how the tart is made.

Raspberry and Frangipane Tart...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
Crust
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Filling
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond flour (such as Bob's Red Mill)
1 whole egg + 1 egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
12 ounces raspberries
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:
1) To make crust: Combine flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (butter will be the size of peas). Add 3 tablespoons ice water and process until just combined. If dough does not come together add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn onto a clean counter and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into a 10-1/2-inch circle on a floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges. Refrigerate while making filling.
2) To make filling: Combine butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add almond flour, eggs, all-purpose flour and almond extract. Process until smooth. Toss raspberries with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and the lemon zest. Scatter half of berries in bottom of tart shell. Spread almond mixture (frangipane) evenly over top. Scatter remaining berries over frangipane. Bake for 45 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.