Apple & Pear Frangipane Tart

Apple & Pear Frangipane Tart

If I could sum up autumn in food it would have to be this apple & pear frangipane tart. It’s the taste of the orchard, the months of sunshine, rain and growth, the pollinating bees and then wasps hungry for a taste of sweet apple sugar.

The secret scrumping, the squelching of toes in fallen fruit, the aroma of bittersweet pears lost to the worms. The gift of a bag of orchard fruit from a friendly neighbour, the fragrance of apples and pears baking in a rich almond batter, enveloped in a chocolate pastry.

Autumn is apples and pears, autumn is here in every slice.

For the filling

3 apples and 3 pears, halved from root to stem, peeled, cored, and sliced – I like them quite chunky
75g brown sugar
The juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Frangipane

125g butter
125g sugar
2 large eggs
125g ground almonds
3 drops almond extract

For the chocolate shortcrust

200g plain flour
50g cocoa powder – I used the amazing Food Thoughts Organic Cocoa Powder
150g butter
2 tablespoon chilled water

To finish

45g butter, cut into small cubes
apricot jam

Preheat oven to 160°C fan. Grease a 25cm fluted, loose-bottomed tart dish.

For the filling:

place the apples and pears, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into a large bowl and toss them well together – set aside.

For the pastry:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa powder and then rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs, add a splash of water and bring together with your hand until a ball forms. Rest in the fridge for 30 mins whilst you make the frangipane.

To make the frangipane:

add all the ingredients to a large bowl and beat well with an electric whisk until a smooth light batter forms.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until nice and thin, then carefully transfer to a fluted tart tin and press in and trim the edges. Pout the frangipane into the tart and level off.

Arrange apples and pears over frangipane, pushing down slightly. I love this geometric pattern but you could literally dump them in. Sprinkle with sugar and dot top with butter. Bake for 45mins – 1 hour, until golden and apples and pears are tender. Once out of the oven place on a wire rack and brush with melted apricot preserve.