Frangipane Filling Almond Paste Recipes

FRANGIPANE

Steps:

• In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix almond paste (you will probably have to break it into little chunks with your fingers first) with sugar until evenly blended.
• Blend in the butter and flour until well combined.
• Add the eggs and beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
• To use, spread a thin layer in a tart shell, as above, or on puff pastry and bake at 350 degrees until frangipane is puffed and golden brown. This is especially nice with stone fruits: peaches, apricots, nectarines, or cherries. A classic French pairing is with sliced pears.

PEAR FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Prepare crust: With mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg until blended. Add flour; beat until blended. Grease 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan. Prick crust with fork. Spread bottom with jam. Refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare filling: With mixer at low speed, beat almond paste, sugar and egg. Add butter and almond extract; beat until just blended. Add flour and baking powder; beat well. Spoon mixture over jam in crust.
• Arrange pear halves, cut-side down on mixture in crust. Bake 50 minutes until filling is set. Cool completely.

FRANGIPANE: ALMOND CREAM

Steps:

• When you are ready to use it, fill your pastries, tart, or tartlets and bake.

FRANGIPANE FILLING (ALMOND PASTE)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a food process and pulse until smooth and creamy.

FRANGIPANE FILLING

Steps:

• Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, ground almonds, rum, almond extract, and flour; beat until smooth. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 4 days.

NECTARINE ALMOND FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 375°F.
• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and zest and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add yolks, vanilla, and water and pulse just until incorporated and dough begins to form large clumps.
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Smear each portion once with heel of your hand in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together using scraper and form into a ball, then flatten into a rectangle.
• Put dough in tart pan and pat out with well-floured fingers into an even layer over bottom and up sides so it extends about 1/4 inch above rim. Chill 30 minutes.
• Lightly prick tart shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake shell until golden around edge, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until shell is golden all over, about 15 minutes more. Cool shell completely in pan on a rack. Leave oven on.
• Make filling:
• Beat together almond paste, butter, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in flour and salt.
• Halve nectarines, discarding pits, then cut into 1/4-inch-wide wedges.
• Spread frangipane filling evenly in tart shell. Stand nectarine wedges, skin sides down, decoratively in filling, being careful not to push too far into filling.
• Bake tart until frangipane is puffed and golden and edges of nectarines are golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Make glaze:
• Heat preserves and water in a 1-quart saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring, until preserves are melted. Remove from heat and force through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, discarding solids. Stir in Amaretto (if using).
• Brush top of hot tart generously with glaze and cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove side of pan and cool tart completely, about 2 hours.