Tuesday, March 10

apple, blackberry and frangipane tart



Taking a good pic of a half eaten pie at night time without lighting is tricky and i couldnt guarantee there'd be any left when the light was better in the morning. This tart was good. I mean really good. I love it when i can cook like this. 95% local ingredients (sugar definitely not from here). Blackberries picked that day on our walk and apples from our trees, home ground raw whole local almonds, and all else local biodynamic or organic fare. Its loca love in a tart.


Frangipane is one of those wonderful things in life, like basil and tomato or hazelnut and chocolate. I first discovered it big time in croissants aux amandes. If you havent tried one, they're heaven in a heart attack. Full of artery clogging butter but soo delish and a great way to use up old, stale going cheap croisssants. Stuff them with frangipaine and bake and serve with coffee on a weekend when the kids are away and you've got the paper and a sunny spot...I digress.

So, to hand were apples and blackberries. The blackberries were probably the last of the season, so many dried on the canes and wasps hovering closely ( so close i did get a jab in the palm when i grabbed a fat purple berry and its passenger, but not enough to swell) and apples, well we're still picking...bucketfulls. Im going to bottle most this weekend and am thinking maybe a cider??? But for now, with those two , its gotta be desert, right? I had both almonds and walnuts in the pantry but i figured a traditional almond frangipaine was the way to go.

Pastry - your choice. I used a cream based short crust, blind baked for 10-15 minutes after resting the lined case in the fridge for 10 min. This prevents it shrinking in the oven and its insides spilling out.

Apples - i used about 5 apples and simmered them in water for about 10 minutes to soften.

Blackberries - probably used about 1 cup fresh; frozen would be fine. Actually any other fruit or berry combo is fine. Use whatever you have to hand. This works well with anything; quince, plum, pear...

Frangipane
125g/4 oz butter
125g/4 oz sugar.
2 eggs -lightly beaten
150-200g almond meal
vanilla extract- 1 tsp or seeds from 1 pod
Cream together butter and sugar and then add the eggs slowly to combine. Add almond meal and vanilla and mix thoroughly and pour into cooled pastry case. Top frangipane mixture with fruit. Bake 25 minutes in 180 oven. Serve with cream or ice cream.

Its a good thing we had friends over to help out with consumption. You definitely dont want to be eating this type of food too often. Tonights desert; chilled whole apples. Penance.

9 comments:

Katrine said...

That sounds amazing!
I think I'm going to have to add frangipane tart and croissants aux amandes to my repertoire this weekend... my poor little arteries will just have to cope!

Kelly said...

katrine - do be careful...once you work out how easy croissants aux amandes are and how good they taste...hello intensive care!

Veggie Gnome said...

I adore frangipane, but try to stay away from it. Your combination sounds fantastic!

Dried apples make a great snack, too. Just in case you didn't want to bottle all of your harvest.

Cider? If you do make some, please post recipe and photos. And samples. ;)

Katrine said...

I made the tart yesterday and you where right, it was love at first bite and a heart attack waiting to happen!
All eight members of my extended family that i shared it with where in complete agreement, the best dessert we'd all had in a long time. Thank you for the recepie!
now for the croissants.... :)

Kelly said...

oh nice! did you do blackberry andappleor another fruit combo?glad you all liked it and i do hope you had it with cream *lol* and the croissants, well they will ruin you!

Katrine said...

i was going to be good and suss another fruit combination out at the farmers markets on sunday but i really wanted to make it on saturday so i went with frozen blackberries and the apples i still had from last weeks markets, all topped of with LOTS of gippsland double cream. with Paris Creek and Fleurieu both negelecting to make cream (except for the tasty layer at the top of their milk!) i haven't found a local option.
actually ... my tart didn't end up containing many local ingredients but such is life and a lack of planning...
i'm saving the croissants for next weekend!

Kelly said...

Katrine- Alexandrina Cheese Co. from the Flurieu do an amazing pure jersey cream, actually its beyond cream, and almost cheese itself!

Katrine said...

thank you!

Veggie Gnome said...

Do try Tweedvale Double Cream. They are a Lobethal dairy, so very local. :) (Depending on where you are, of course)

The double cream goes extremely well with scones, cakes, etc. Sinfully good.

Not sure how widely available that cream is. Foodland Lobethal might have it, but I know that the fruit & veg stall at the Lobethal market carries it.

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