Don’t you just love learning a new technique!! I was looking for a way to use up some of the mounds of fruits I seem to pick up every time I’m in a grocery store, this was it. This is my new favorite way to make a delicious base for a fruit filled or in this case, frangipane and fruit tart. The origins are from one of my favorite geniuses in the baking world, David Leibowitz. I made the original directly from his recipe but as I made it again and again, I changed a few things. I found the original recipe barely covered the bottom so the crust was fairly thin on the bottom and I just wanted it thicker. I doubled the dough but used the same 9” tart tin. I also made this in little individual 5” tart mould as well as a 4.5” x 14” tart tin – I liked making the dough so much, I made it three times. Hey, practice makes perfect (and me fat!).

This technique is so good, no rolling or processing required – that means clean counters – no flour on the cupboards or on you. The butter is melted with the other liquid ingredients, the sugar and salt. I love the idea of browning the butter slightly – almost a beurre noisette, but not quite as dark. The butter mixture and flour really make a lovely, spreadable dough. The whole thing comes together in less than 1 hour.

I did make some taste changes to the original recipe as well – it’s always easier to make changes to existing recipes than to be the genius that creates them! I found the original was a wonderful after dinner treat – not too sweet and a mild nutty tasting filling contrasted with the fruit. But I wanted to ramp up the almond taste and make it slightly sweeter so I used more almond extract and sugar to boost the taste. I also used Calvados (apple brandy), all three times – it is just one of my favorite flavorings for just about any sweet treat. I also like Grand Marnier but I’m thinking Amaretto would be just as good – next practice round :)!

Make this thoroughly enjoyable tart and use up leftover fruit. I used peaches and plums with accents such as blueberries and Concord grapes – nope, I don’t have a favorite, liked them all! But with the fall season kicking in, I think I might try fresh cranberries and grapes next time around. Be creative but do try this technique for making a tart, any tart – it works well! As always – enjoy!

French Pastry Dough
170g (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoon vegetable oil, I used canola
6 tablespoons water
2 ½ tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
320g (11 oz, literally 2 rounded cups – honest I measured) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 410f
In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl add the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt
Place the bowl in the oven until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges – about 15 minutes or so, but as always, check earlier
When you see the butter turning brown along the edges, carefully remove the bowl from the oven and place on a folded towel. This will serve two purposes – 1, to remind you the bowl is hot and shouldn’t be placed directly on the counter, and 2 – remind you the bowl is hot, so don’t be touching it with your bare hands
Immediately add the flour and stir using a rubber heatproof spatula until it all comes together
Empty it into your 9” round tart tin and spread with the spatula to cover the entire surface
Once the dough has cooled enough to handle, pat it into the shell using your fingers pressing it into the corners and up the sides – reserve about 1 tsp of the dough to patch any cracks that appear after baking the pie shell
Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork about ten times, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown
Remove from the oven and if there are any sizable cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to patch them
Let the shell cool before filling – no really, the butter in the almond cream filling will melt if you don’t

Summer Fruit Tart with Frangipane (Almond Cream)
4 ounces (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (130g) almond flour
2 teaspoons dark rum or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
big pinch of salt
3 nectarines (about 12 ounces, 370g) and/or another stone fruit, such as plums, peaches (peeled), or apricots
optional – enough raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and/or gooseberries to creatively dot the surface

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy – about 1 minute on high speed
Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating starting on low and up to medium – count to 15 before adding the next egg, and don’t forget to scrape the bowl
Stir in the almond flour, then the alcohol or flavoring – Calvados, Grand Marnier etc., almond extract, and salt
Spread the frangipane in the cooled tart dough
Halve the peaches and/or plums and slice them into fourths or eighths
Press the slices of fruit decoratively into the frangipane, then top with the fresh blueberries, raspberries etc., if using
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tart is golden brown across the top
For that French bakery finish, let the tart cool, then brush lightly with warmed apricot or peach jelly – optional