Description
Classic French Plum Frangipane Tart brings almond sweetness and summer stone fruit together in one elegant dessert. Buttery pastry cradles rich almond cream and juicy plums, promising a delightful Mediterranean-inspired experience you’ll savor with each delicate bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortcrust Pastry:
- 220 grams (7.75 ounces) plain flour (all-purpose), sifted
- 40 grams (1.4 ounces) powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar), sifted
- 115 grams (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 15–30 milliliters (0.5–1 fluid ounces) ice-cold water
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 lemon, zest
Egg Wash:
- 1 small-medium egg
- 1 teaspoon milk
Frangipane Filling and Topping:
- 6–8 fresh plums
- 115 grams (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 65 grams (2.3 ounces) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 lemon, zest
- fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry by sifting flour, icing sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Add lemon zest and cold, cubed butter.
- Use fingertips to rub butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with small butter chunks visible.
- Create a central well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg. Gently incorporate using a fork, adding ice-cold water sparingly to bind the dough.
- Transfer the pastry onto a floured surface and shape into a smooth disk without overworking. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- After chilling, let the pastry rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll out to a thin, coin-like thickness and carefully transfer to a fluted tart tin.
- Gently press pastry into tin edges and corners, trimming excess. Refrigerate the prepared shell for another hour to prevent shrinkage.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Dock pastry base with fork, line with parchment, and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove weights, brush base with egg wash, and return to oven for 7-10 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
- Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a mixer until pale and fluffy. Gradually incorporate eggs, beating thoroughly between additions.
- Fold in almond meal, flour, salt, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth. Spread frangipane evenly into the prepared tart shell.
- Halve plums, remove stones, and slice thinly. Arrange slices in a spiral pattern over the frangipane, starting from the outer edge.
- Bake for 45 minutes until filling sets and turns golden brown.
- Warm honey briefly and brush over the plum surface. Optionally, garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
- Pastry Perfection: Handle the sweet shortcrust pastry gently to maintain its delicate, flaky texture and prevent tough results.
- Chill Out: Refrigerating the pastry twice helps prevent shrinkage and ensures a crisp, golden crust with clean edges.
- Butter Matters: Use cold butter and work quickly to create those coveted pea-sized butter pieces that make the pastry wonderfully tender.
- Blind Baking Brilliance: Protect the pastry base from becoming soggy by blind baking, creating a crisp foundation for the luscious frangipane filling.
- Plum Placement: Arrange plum slices in a beautiful spiral pattern, overlapping slightly to create a stunning visual effect and ensure even baking.
- Final Flourish: A quick brush of warm honey and sprinkle of thyme leaves elevates the tart from delicious to absolutely spectacular.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg