Apple Frangipane Tart （杏仁苹果塔）

This apple tart's flavorful components include a buttery crisp crust, a soft and creamy frangipane (almond cream), and thin slices of mildly sweetened apples that have been tossed with sugar and ground cinnamon. Excellent while still warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even cold.

I love tarts with a buttery flavour and crunchy texture. It is simple to make, and making the dough doesn't require a food processor or hand mixer. It is important that your butter is COLD, and I find that cutting it into small cubes makes it much simpler to incorporate into the flour mixture.

Frangipane sounds much fancier than it actually is and it is quite simple to prepare and only needs a few ingredients. It is a sweet paste with an almond flavour that is used in many European and French delicacies, including cakes and pastries. It is primarily an almond filling (paste) consisting of butter, eggs, ground almonds, sugar, and flour, and is sometimes referred to as frangipane cream. Spread the frangipane over the prebaked pie crust which adds a wonderful flavour,  but it also acts as a shield to prevent the apple juices from penetrating into the crust. 

Apples are one of the more adaptable fruits that are great for baking as well as snacking on raw.  Choosing the correct apple variety is crucial while baking.  The best apple to use in pies and tarts should have a firm texture. For a tart with a more delicate flavour, you could even experiment by combining two or three different types.

These apple tarts are ideal as a dessert after dinner or as a mid-afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or tea. I even made this apple tart as Mother’s Day celebration.

INGREDIENTS

 

Butter pastry

100g butter, COLD

1 egg

70g icing sugar

220g plain flour

 

METHOD

 

1) Combine the flour and icing sugar in a bowl.  Cut the butter into a small cube and keep in the freezer for about 10 minutes.  Rub the COLD butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add the egg to the mixture, stir until the dough binds together and form the dough into a ball. 

3) To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter, keep lifting and turning the pastry. Once the dough is rolled out, simply roll it onto the rolling pin. Unroll onto the top of the tart pan. Gently lay in pan and with your fingertips, lightly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Lightly prick the bottom of pastry crust with the tines of a fork, to prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes. Place them on a baking pan. Baked at 200°C for 10 – 15 minutes or until the crust is dry and lightly golden brown.

 

Frangipane cream

60g ground almonds

1 tbsp flour

50g white sugar

50g butter, soften

1 large egg

 

Apple Filling

800g firm textured apple

2 - 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated white sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Honey syrup  

1 tbsp honey mixed with 1 tsp of water

METHOD

1. To make the frangipane - In the bowl, add all the ingredients, stir until you have a smooth paste, cover, and refrigerate for up to three days.

2. Place the chilled crust on a baking pan. Baked for 10 – 15 minutes or until the crust is dry and lightly golden brown.

3. Peel and cut the apples into thin slices. Place in a large bowl and toss with the sugar and ground cinnamon.

4. Spread the frangipane over the prebaked pie crust. Sliced apples are then arranged over the top of frangipane cream and the edges of the pastry, overlapping the slices. Bake the tart for 25 - 30 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy. You may brush some honey syrup on top to make the apple tart looks shiny or sprinkle powdered sugar over the tart's tops before serving.