I originally made this tart years ago (seriously maybe 20 years ago when we were living in LA) using strawberries….This Easter my sister gave me desserts!
Not being a huge baker I have a few go to desserts. Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake being one of them…but there’s an abundance of chocolate already at Easter so I thought…fruit! Hmm…what was in my repetoire…and then I remembered this tart, so I thought I would make it again.
Well, anyone in the State of California knows that we haven’t had much sun this year with all the rain … the strawberrries are not happy or sweet so I decided to go with raspberries and it was devine.  I used a seedless raspberry jam to baste on the raspberries and it worked perfectly. The almond frangipane was not too sweet and I put some blanched, pulvarized almonds in the crust.  I also used vodka instead of ice water in the dough which is a tip I got from America’s Test Kitchen (one of my favorite go to sources to understand how cooking works analytically!) The actual recipe for the almond filling I found on the Williams Sonoma site and I liked it so credit goes to them for the recipe.
The tea cakes are my rendition of a cake that we used to get in Los Angeles when the kids were little. I put a white chocolate ganache on them for Easter with a touch of green food coloring to make them festive but you can just make the ganache without any color for anytime of year. Recipe to follow….

tart crust:

ingredients:

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tbs. very cold water or ice cold vodka (trust me the vodka taste bakes out)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄3 cup sugar
  • 1⁄4 tsp. Sweet & Savory Sous Salt
  • 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 1/4 blanched almonds

directions:

Pulvarize the almonds in a food processor with the sugar until well blended. Add the flour, Sous Salt and pulse a couple times.  Add the cold butter and pulse until little pebbles. In a small bowl mix the egg and extracts then feed them through the tube of the processor. Add the water or vodka and pulse just until the mixture comes together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Use the dough immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

filling & completion:

ingredients:

  • 1 rolled-out round of the tart dough listed above
  • 8 Tbs. (1 stick) salted butter, at room
    temperature
  • 1⁄2 lb. almond paste, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1⁄4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄3 cup raspberry, plum or cherry jam – extra for the glaze
  • 1⁄3 cup blanched almonds
  • 2 packages of berries

directions:

Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Press the dough into the sides to extend it slightly above the rim to offset any shrinkage during baking.

Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat the butter until smooth. Add the almond paste, one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. While continuing to beat, sprinkle in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour.

Spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the partially baked tart shell. Spoon in the almond paste mixture and spread evenly over the jam.

Bake the tart until the filling is golden and the middle is firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart cool completely.

This is where I changed the recipe. Take the raspberry jam and while the tart is cooling gently spread a thin layer of the jam on the almond frangipane. It will seep down into the tart. Then when the tart is cool remove it from the tart shell pan and place it on your serving tray. Place the berries on the tart and then brush melted jam on the berries. Nothing more needed…unless you want a little whipped cream!

Serve at room temperature. Makes one 9 1/2-inch tart; serves 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Pie & Tart, by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster, 2003).