Apple & Pear Frangipane Tart

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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.

For more tart recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.

Eat and of course, enjoy!