Bon jour mes amies!
In our family we enjoy hand made, from scratch baked goods. Sometimes French gourmet ;) This particular evening, we had a surplus of apples so I was considering an apple cake or an apple tart. After asking my husband he said "tart" so a tart it was! This wife honors her husband :)
This recipe includes almonds, several years ago, this would not have been possible as one kiddo was allergic, but has since outgrown. Glory to God in the highest!!! I love nuts, especially in baked goods, they add flavor and texture you cannot get otherwise. So almonds and peanuts are a joyful treat. If your family has allergies, please substitute as you can or omit.
Ingredients
Pastry:
1 1/3 c flour
pinch salt
1/2 c butter softened
1 egg yolk
3 Tb cold water, or as needed
Frangipane:
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 egg yolk
2/3 c ground almonds
2 Tb flour
3-4 medium sweet apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar, for decoration
1/4 c apricot jelly (optional)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/3 cups of flour and salt. Add the butter, 1 egg yolk and water, and stir until the mixture forms large crumbs. If it is too dry to press a handful together, stir in more water. Press the dough into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten slightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. Dough can be made up to three days in advance.
2. To make the frangipane, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and soft. Gradually mix in the egg and the remaining egg yolk one at a time. Stir in the apple brandy. Stir 2 tablespoons of flour into the ground almonds, then mix into the batter. Set aside.
3. Roll the pastry dough out to about a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan or pie dish. Prick with a fork all over, and flute the edges. Return pastry to the refrigerator to chill until firm.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a baking sheet inside the oven while it preheats.
5. Spoon the frangipane into the chilled pastry, and spread into an even layer. Arrange the apple slices in an overlapping spiral pattern. Each slice should have one edge pressed into the frangipane until it touches the pastry base, and then overlap the previous slice. Start at the outside edge, and work towards the center.
6. Place the pie plate on top of the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling begins to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for another 10 minutes, then sprinkle sugar over the top of the tart. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the sugar caramelizes slightly.
7. Cool the tart on a wire rack. A short time before serving, warm the apricot jelly. Add some water if necessary to make it a liquid consistency. Brush onto the tart for a nice shine.
This was my first attempt and wow, it was so delicious!!! Personally I did not glaze the tart with the apricot jelly only because I am not a big fan of apricots, but I am sure it would be quite delicious and maybe next time I would include? The effort was definitely worth the reward! It was a winner in our home and looking forward to carving time in our schedule to make another....tastes like a little bit of the French countryside in your own home. Bon appétit!
Mes amitiés (my best wishes),
Kim
Back in November we enjoyed making macarons for the first time with my sister-in-law. We had such fun making two very different recipes. Both being avid bakers, this was the first time for both of us venturing down this path! We had different almond flour types and compared and contrasted the two. Mine were whole ground almonds while hers were blanched. The whole ones are great for chocolate macarons as the skin would be camouflaged....for pale macarons the blanched would be better utilized.
We made two different recipes one being a plain and the other being chocolate. There were textural differences. For a first time we did well and they were both very tasty!!! With baking even if things do not turn out well one can eat the mistakes and mishaps - YUM!!!
We found letting the egg whites "age" are key :) Most macaron problems occur from a poor meringue. "Aging" the egg whites is one way to improve the meringue, we separate the egg whites the day before and storing in a sealed container until ready to use. This allows the egg whites to dehydrate and relaxes the egg white proteins which prevents over whipping them while achieving stiff peaks.
