Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Cherry and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart

Just when you thought it was safe, I'm back with another Cherry recipe. I think this might just be my last cherry dish for a while but you never know - inspiration or madness might strike.

The idea for this tart came via my fondness for frangipane , having used it, oh, a few times before. As a match for my poached cherries, I decided to substitute hazelnut meal for the almond meal and as I like to experiment, I've opted to use duck eggs. The pastry that will line this tart is the wonderfully rich Pasta Frolla - though a good sweet shortcrust will do.

dreamy

Cherry and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart
[Makes 1 x 23cm/9 inch square tart]

½ portion Pasta Frolla (or your favourite sweet shortcrust pastry)
2 cups poached cherries, well drained
120 grams softened butter, cut into small cubes
120 grams caster sugar
3 duck eggs, at room temperature (you can use chicken eggs)
120 grams hazelnut meal
pearl sugar
pure icing sugar, for dusting

Line your fluted tart tin with pastry - let it rest for about an hour before cooking.
Cover with baking paper filled with weights and place in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven.
Cook for 10 minutes, remove paper and weights and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, turning down the heat if you think it's browning too quickly until the case is almost cooked through.

Make the frangipane:
Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and creamy. It's important that your eggs are at room temperature to avoid curdling the mixture. I like to break my eggs into a bowl and then slowly add them to the creamed butter in a manner to minimise temperature variation. Make sure the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next amount. When this is done, fold in the hazelnut meal being careful not to over-mix.

Assemble the tart:
Place about a quarter of the frangipane into tart case - spread it out to roughly cover the base. Dot the well-drained cherries over this - 2 cups is a generous amount and you'll find that it will make the tart a little harder to cut into neat pieces but that's a compromise I'm willing to make.
Pour over the remaining frangipane, smoothing it out to evenly cover the cherries.
Sprinkle over with some pearl sugar - this is optional.

Return to the oven and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the topping has set and is golden brown. Once again, if you feel it's browning too quickly, turn the oven down.

If you use duck eggs, you'll notice they will react slightly differently. The best description I can give is that the frangipane gets a meringue like consistency to it's surface. It doesn't effect at all but it's something you need to be aware of.

tart

Let the tart cool in the tin before removing and dust with pure icing sugar.

slice

Smiles all round and a big thumbs up for this tart - the pastry has a wonderful shortbread like taste, the cherries and hazelnuts work in harmony and it leaves you that lovely feeling of decadence.

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11 comments

  1. A lovely tart! Your tart really makes me crave for some cherry :D

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  2. Absolutely stunning! I now have a use for my hazelnut meal :D Though I'll have to make a trip to Essential Ingredient for the pearl sugar...

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  3. Haalo,

    My husband have already bought cherries for me twice, so I could make some of your amazing recipes. The problem is they're so delicious I can't stop eating them!

    I think I'm still able to find them here - can't wait to bake something beautiful like this tart.

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  4. Thanks Anh - you should always satisfy those cravings.

    Thanks Ellie - the pearl sugar isn't necessary and is totally optional. I'm in two minds whether I really needed it.

    Hi Patricia - that's the problem with cherries, they are perfect straight from the tree.

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  5. I'm unsure about using sweet cherries in desserts, the other day I made a clafoutis and it just didn't do it for me, maybe because we are used to using sour cherries, how do you think they would go in this?

    Btw, love your new look, very classy.

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  6. That looks fabulous!

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  7. Very cool. I've been wondering what a Bakewell Tart would be like with different nut bases other than almond. This is exactly what I had in mind.

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  8. I love the new layout Haalo! I especially love how you've listed the farmer's market schedule on the left and the calendar! I've been trying to get to a farmer's market for a while now, your schedule will be a lot of help in planning my weekends!

    Your tart looks wonderful too. I've had little success with frangipane tarts as my filling always comes out undercooked even when I follow the instructions in the recipe. But I might give yours a try since it turned out well :)

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  9. Thanks Neil - I couldn't recommend using sour cherries for this at all, I would stick to matching chocolate to the sour cherries. I can't say I'm too fond of the old clafoutis, it really does nothing for me taste-wise but you should have used sweet cherries in it.

    Thanks Shawnda!

    Thanks GTO - have fun experimenting.

    Thanks Ilingc - there's just so many markets and they just keep increasing, hope you get to go to them soon. With frangipane you basically have to cook it until it's cooked - they can be temperamental but it's best to only use the time as a guide and use the frangipane itself as the indicator.

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  10. Sorry I wasn't clear, I did use sweet cherries in the clafoutis which is what got me thinking about sour cherries. Looks like we might have the same opinion of the dish.

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  11. Ohhh I see - I wouldn't judge sweet cherries on the basis of clafoutis - you should try Anh's cherry tart I think that will sway your opinion on sweet cherries.

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