Happy New Year! My resolution for year is to post a new recipe everyday. I decided to start with a tarte amandine because one of the main components of the dish is frangipane, a buttery almond filling. I’m originally from France and frangipane figures heavily into the traditional cake, called Galette des Rois (litterally Kings’ Cake), which is served in the month of January to commemorate the Christian Holiday of Epiphany.
1. Info for Tarte Amandine (Apple Tart with Almond Cream)
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
- Servings: 6
- Calories: 310 kcal
2. Ingredients for Tarte Amandine (Apple Tart with Almond Cream)
- 6 square puff pastry , store bought
- 125 g butter, softened to room temperature, plus extra
- 50 g sugar
- 2 whole eggs, yolk & white separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 125 g almond flour
- 2 Tbsp apricot preserves
- 3 whole apples
- 1/2 squeezed lemon
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Place in 2 separate bowls, the yolks in one and the white in the other.
- Add 1/3 sugar quantity to yolk, mix with handmixer until pale yellow. Add vanilla, almond flour, stir with a spatula. In a different container, cream another 1/3 of the sugar with the butter. Combine both bowls together.
- For the remaining egg-white bowl, add salt, then start mixing with clean handblender until you reach soft peaks (don’t overmix, it will become grainy) then add the remaining sugar and mix for another minute until stiff.
- Combine 1/3 of the egg white to the egg yolk mixture, stir well with spatula. Then gently fold the rest of the egg whites with a spatula.
- Place the dough in 6 individual pie shells previously buttered (or in one 9-inch pie pan). Dock the dough with a fork.
- Peel the apples, cut them in half. Core them. Coat each half with lemon juice, then cut them vertically into thin slices. Spread the almond mixture in each mold then place the apples over the almond paste. Sprinkle teeny bit of butter over the apples so the pie look rich and golden.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 375°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F for another 15 minutes. Before glazing the pie, broil for 3 minutes to get a nice golden crust and caramelized apple look. Turn off the heat, then brush with the warm apricot preserves.
- Let it cool for a few minutes, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s delicious.