Please allow me to introduce Lord Frangipane. Master of all tarts and ruler of all pastry creams, Lord Frangipane would look positively dashing on your plate.
My first several attempts at the frangipane tart were disastrous. I tried many different recipes for the pastry and even more recipes for the frangipane itself. I had some wonderful success making frangipane galettes out of rustically pleated pie dough, but ultimately that process was too complicated. I knew that if I were to share frangipane with the world, the recipe would need to be much simpler, so I opted for puff pastry.
The only problem with puff pastry is that the frangipane spills off the tarts while baking, making an awful mess and producing less than pretty tarts. After my first batch with the puff pastry, I swore never again.
But then I tasted a tart. And. My. Jaw. dropped. I had never tasted anything like it! The maple glazed crust was delicate and crisp, the center was filled with smooth frangipane cream and juicy berries that melted in my mouth.
I ran back to the store and bought two more packages of puff pastry so I could give the recipe some tweaks. This entire process was repeated four more times until the people at the grocery store came to know me as the raspberries and puff pastry lady. Ultimately, I got it right and I’m so happy to share this treasure of a tart with you. Now without further adieu, here is the recipe for Lord Frangipane Tart.
Frangipane Tart with Maple-Glazed Raspberries
Makes about twenty rustic tarts.
Ingredients
*Any type of berries work, but if you use frozen berries, blueberries are best. If using strawberries, hull and quarter them.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Prepare frangipane (recipe follows) and set in the fridge to chill.
Makes about twenty rustic tarts.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry (two sheets-—can be purchased in the frozen food section. Keep frozen until ready to use)
- Frangipane (recipe follows)
- About 1 lb. fresh raspberries (two 6 oz. containers works fine)*
- 1/2 c. maple syrup
- Heavy cream
- Drinking glass, biscuit cutter, or jar with 3-4 inch rim to cut out the tarts
*Any type of berries work, but if you use frozen berries, blueberries are best. If using strawberries, hull and quarter them.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Prepare frangipane (recipe follows) and set in the fridge to chill.
3. Rinse berries and let dry. Drizzle 1/4 c. maple syrup over them and gently stir to coat. Each berry should be glossy. Set aside.
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
5. Follow thawing directions on package of puff pastry. Plan ahead. Thawing usually takes about forty minutes.
6. On a floured surface, lay out the first sheet of puff pastry. Using your drinking glass, jar, or biscuit cutter, cut out nine discs of puff pastry, then place the discs on the prepared cookie sheet. Set pastry scraps aside.
5. Follow thawing directions on package of puff pastry. Plan ahead. Thawing usually takes about forty minutes.
6. On a floured surface, lay out the first sheet of puff pastry. Using your drinking glass, jar, or biscuit cutter, cut out nine discs of puff pastry, then place the discs on the prepared cookie sheet. Set pastry scraps aside.
7. Using a fork, generously prick each disc of pastry. Brush cream around the outer edge of each tart to create a glossy crust. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can simply spread the cream with your finger.
8. Place 1 Tbsp. chilled frangipane on the center of each disc. No need to spread the frangipane as it will spread on its own while baking.
9. Arrange maple glazed berries on the frangipane. If using raspberries, three is a good number for each tart.
9. Arrange maple glazed berries on the frangipane. If using raspberries, three is a good number for each tart.
10. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Frangipane will spread during baking. This is normal. In fact, the tarts might look downright ugly when you remove them from the oven. Remember these guys? Eeeek!
Take a deep breath. It's okay. Just move tarts to a cooling rack, cutting off any frangipane that overflowed. Now they should look downright lovely.
Repeat above steps for the second sheet of puff pastry.
If you’d like to use the pastry scraps to make more tarts, form the scraps into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of the original puff pastry sheets. Cut out as many more tarts as you can, then roll out the remaining scraps to form your final tart, leaving no waste. Move all discs of pastry to a parchment lined cookie sheet and follow above steps to make the last batch of tarts.
Repeat above steps for the second sheet of puff pastry.
If you’d like to use the pastry scraps to make more tarts, form the scraps into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of the original puff pastry sheets. Cut out as many more tarts as you can, then roll out the remaining scraps to form your final tart, leaving no waste. Move all discs of pastry to a parchment lined cookie sheet and follow above steps to make the last batch of tarts.
It's hard to believe that the sloppy mess you pulled from the oven will eventually look like this, but I promise it will! Just cut off any overflowed frangipane, let the filling set, and you will have this beauty on your plate. When the tarts are all cool, brush remaining maple syrup over eat tart, coating the berries as well as the crusts (if you don’t have a pastry brush, you can drizzle the syrup on). Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. |
Frangipane Cream This decadent almond pastry cream will change the way you eat tarts. Freeze any leftovers or simply find another use for it. It can be used in a number of baked goodies! Ingredients
Method
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