Desserts
Strawberry-Frangipane Tart
Celebrate strawberries when they’re at their best with a tart that’s not only mouthwatering, but a visual stunner as well.
Plump and juicy, ripe fresh strawberries are delicious on their own, but sometimes you want to showcase them. Do so in this tart with two strawberry toppings. All you need to get started is a food processor.
First, process the dough to form the cookie-like crust. If it breaks when pressing it into the pan, just patch it back together. Next, fill the tart shell with frangipane [FRAN-juh-payn], a sweet pastry filling made with ground almonds. Once processed, it will resemble natural peanut butter.
Before topping the tart with fresh strawberries, turn half of them into a gelée [ZHEH-ley] that holds everything in place. Gelée is really a fancy term for Jell-O, and it’s just about as easy to make but with much better taste. To make it, juice fresh strawberries and mix the juice with gelatin for a sweet treat without artificial flavors.
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST, PULSE:
WHISK:
FOR THE FRANGIPANE, PURÉE:
ADD:
FOR THE GELÉE, PULSE:
Test Kitchen Tip
To make this tart ahead, prepare the crust and frangipane as directed, cover and freeze, then thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Instructions
For the crust, pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture forms a fine meal.
Whisk together egg yolks and cream. With the machine running, pour in the yolk mixture and process just until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Roll out dough on a floured surface to about ⅛-inch thick; transfer to a 10¼-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
Trim overhanging dough to 1-inch, then fold in, pressing into the sides to create a thick edge. Press between edge and base to create a 90° angle. Scrape excess dough away with the back of paring knife. Cover crust with plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°.
For the frangipane, purée almonds, sugar, flour, and salt in a food processor until smooth.
Add softened butter, eggs, and almond extract, process until smooth, then evenly spread onto chilled crust. Chill tart until firm.
Bake tart on a baking sheet until frangipane is golden, about 30 minutes; cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place sieve inside a bowl.
For the gelée, pulse 2 cups strawberries in a food processor until minced; transfer to a bowl, stir in sugar and lemon juice, and let sit 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Strain mixture through prepared sieve (weigh down with a plate and a heavy object), about 30 minutes; discard solids. If necessary, add water to yield 3/4 cup juice; transfer to a small saucepan.
Sprinkle gelatin over strawberry juice to form the gelée; let sit 5 minutes. Heat mixture over medium until gelatin melts. Cool gelée to room temperature. Reserve 2 Tbsp. gelée. Pour remaining gelée over frangipane and spread to the crust’s edge.
Halve remaining 2 cups strawberries and arrange on top of gelée; brush with reserved gelée. Chill tart until gelée sets up; serve at room temperature.
For a clean edge, use the back of a paring knife to scrape the excess dough from the top of the tart pan.
Chilling the crust before adding the frangipane prevents the crust from getting soggy
So the powdered gelatin doesn’t clump and is absorbed, gently sprinkle it over the strawberry juice.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 383
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 36%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 127mg 42%
Sodium 162mg 6%
Carbs 39g 13%
Fiber 4g 16%
Protein 6g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.