Pistachio And Cherry Frangipane Tarts Recipe
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110 minutes prep time
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40 minutes cook time
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Intermediate
Pistachios work beautifully with cherries - both in terms of flavour and creating a vibrant colour contrast. In this pistachio and cherry frangipane tart recipe we've used two different forms of pistachio - pure pistachio paste and Iranian slivered green pistachios. A little excessive? We don't think so! The pure pistachio paste is roasted to give it an amazing, intense flavour, but in doing so it loses its lovely bright green colour. Cue Iranian slivered pistachios which add flecks of bright green to the frangipane and are stunning blended into crumbs and sprinkled over the tart.
We've opted to fill the tart with a little cherry jam to save time, but feel free to make your own from scratch. The tarts are best enjoyed within 4 days of baking, drizzled with a little cream or topped with a scoop of ice cream.
For the pastry Serves: 8
- 120g butter, cold
- 70g icing sugar
- 25g ground almonds
- Pinch salt
- Few drops vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 200g plain flour
For the pistachio frangipane
- 110g unsalted butter, softened
- 110g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 25g plain flour
- 30g ground almonds
- 50g pistachio paste
- 30g slivered pistachios, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
Equipment
- Piping bags
- 8 small fluted tartlet moulds
- Baking beans
For the finishing touches
- 50g slivered pistachios
- 8 whole, fresh cherries
To make the pastry
- In a mixer, using the beater attachment mix together the cold butter, icing sugar, ground almonds and salt until combined.
- Add the vanilla and egg.
- Finally add the flour and beat slowly until the pastry comes together.
- Store in the fridge (ideally overnight).
- The next day, or at least 1 hour later, preheat the oven to 170°C. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 1-2 mm. Prick it with a fork.
- Line each pastry tin with the pastry and a layer of greaseproof paper. Pour in the baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until nicely browned.
- Leave to cool.
To make the pistachio frangipane
- In a mixer cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and pistachio paste.
- Mix the flour, ground almonds and finely chopped pistachios together.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the mixture.
- Once the pastry has cooled, fill a piping bag with the frangipane mixture.
- Pipe a spiral layer of frangipane at the base of each tart.
- Top with a teaspoon of cherry jam, using the back of the teaspoon to roughly distribute it.
- Pipe a second layer of frangipane to cover the cherry jam.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the frangipane is risen and lightly browned.
To add the finishing touches
- In a food blender pulse the slivered pistachios until they resemble fine crumbs. Be careful not to blend too much or they will start to turn into a paste.
- Sprinkle the pistachio crumbs over each tart and top with a single cherry. The tarts will last for up to 4 days in a sealed container but are best served fresh with a drizzle of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Interested in French pâtisserie? Then feuilletine is a must-have - delicious, sweet light and crispy.
