Plum and Frangipane Tart

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated August 11, 2021

  • Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(188)
Comments
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Frangipane is a creamy custard made of ground nuts, butter, sugar and eggs. It’s often spread under fruit in tarts and galettes, over a layer of jam in a Bakewell tart, or tucked into a puff pastry crown to make a classic pithivier. It is most often made with almonds, but pistachios, hazelnuts and pecans (or even a mix of them!) are tasty substitutes. Almond flour is used in place of whole nuts in this recipe so that the mixture comes together without any special machinery — just a bowl and a spoon. Store-bought puff pastry makes this dessert even easier to pull together.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 1 (14-ounce/397-gram) package store-bought puff pastry, thawed if frozen

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup/about 112 grams nut flour, such as almond, pecan or hazelnut flour

  • ½ (packed) cup/145 grams light or dark brown sugar

  • 4 tablespoons/57 grams very soft unsalted butter

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 4 to 5 small plums (about 1 pound/400 to 500 grams), or a mix of stone fruits, pitted and thinly sliced

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

49 grams carbs; 62 milligrams cholesterol; 523 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 34 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 267 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 20 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper set in a rimmed baking sheet. Trim the sides if necessary to make a neat rectangle. Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1-inch border around the puff pastry, taking care not to cut through the sheet. Using a fork, dock the sheet all over but within the border.

  2. Step 2

    Bake the puff pastry just until lightly golden, about 24 minutes. (Keep in mind that you will be baking it again, so it doesn’t have to be completely baked through yet.) Remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

  3. Step 3

    While the pastry bakes, prepare the frangipane: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the nut flour, brown sugar, butter and salt, and beat by hand using a wooden spoon or whisk, or with an electric mixer, until well-combined. (If there are small bits of butter in the frangipane, that’s OK.)

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cardamom.

  5. Step 5

    When the puff pastry is out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to gently press down the pastry within the border. Immediately spread the frangipane over the pastry within the border. Arrange the fruit over the top of the frangipane. Sprinkle the cardamom sugar over the fruit.

  6. Step 6

    Bake until the frangipane is golden brown in spots and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes, tenting the edges of the pastry with foil if they are browning too quickly.

  7. Step 7

    Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
188 user ratings
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Comments

Victoria

My favourite way of making frangipane is with pitted sour cherries in light syrup, drained (buy Hungarian cherries if available) and a layer of cherry preserves on the crust under the frangipane. Reduce the cherry syrup with a little sugar and a few drops of almond extract to use as a glaze over the tart once it's out of the oven. It's also fantastic with a short crust if you don't want to use puffed pastry.

Steph

Dock - means to “to prick with a fork.” I had to Google it.

a zuckerman

What size is the rimmed baking sheet?

Critterina

The size of the rimmed baking sheet is "larger than the pastry sheet". Mine was much larger. It doesn't seem to matter. I felt the frangipane was getting too deep, so reserved about a half cup. But maybe my pastry sheet was thicker, as I went by weight.

Mirem

I followed the recipe exactly. In my oven, 24 minutes to prebake and 30 for the final bake made the pastry a little too dark on the bottom and edges. When I make it again (which I will, because it was delicious!) I’ll reduce the prebaking time or perhaps the temperature of the second bake.

Megan

I make this multiple times every summer and early fall when I have an excess of plums. I follow the recipe exactly and it’s one of my favorite treats. It feels fancy while being shockingly easy. I’ve made it for guests and people are always impressed.

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