Frangipane-Prune Tart

Frangipane-Prune Tart
Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(250)
Comments
Read comments

Prunes, or dried plums, are a delicious, often underrated baking ingredient in the United States. In France, the fruit is used in sweet and savory recipes, including this one for a popular dessert filled with frangipane, or buttery almond cream, and plenty of plumped fruit, baked together until the filling turns a golden brown on top and the prunes are as sweet and tender as caramels. You could use a store-bought pie or tart shell, slightly parbaked before filling it up, or follow a recipe for an all-butter pie crust. 

Featured in: In Praise of the Prune

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Ingredients

Yield:12 slices
  • 1cup Earl Grey tea, hot
  • 9ounces (250 grams) prunes, pitted and halved
  • cups (135 grams) sliced almonds, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
  • ¾cup (165 grams) sugar
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • 6tablespoons (90 grams) butter
  • 2eggs
  • 1tablespoon brandy
  • ½teaspoon almond essence (optional)
  • 19-inch parcooked tart shell (see recipe)
  • 1teaspoon icing sugar, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

248 calories; 13 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 117 milligrams sodium

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

    Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl, pour the hot tea over the halved prunes, and let the fruit rehydrate while you make the almond filling.

  2. Step 2

    Put almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor, and pulse just until ground (be careful not to overprocess, or the filling will become a hard paste). Add the butter, eggs, brandy and almond essence, if using, and pulse just until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Drain prunes well, pressing out any excess liquid with your hands, and place in the tart shell, more or less in an even layer. Spoon on the almond mixture, smoothing it with the back of the spoon, then sprinkle over remaining sliced almonds. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown. Dust with icing sugar, and let cool before serving.

Ratings

5 out of 5
250 user ratings
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Comments

Yes, You can use almond meal. I have done that many times to make almond cream. also rum is a good substitute for brandy.

Wonder about using almond meal, instead of processing the almonds.

In my experience, Sunsweet (and perhaps other brands) soak the prunes in water before packaging them to soften and increase the weight thus the profit. They're already hydrated and the soak in Earl Grey would probably make them soggy, which would dilute the frangipane and make for a runny filling. If using the commercial prunes I'd advise skipping the soak in the tea which is unfortunate, because it sounds delicious. Better to source a higher quality more natural, dehydrated prune.

Very tasty. I had fresh plums, so layered those in. It took longer to bake, but ultimately it was a delicious tart. Made a glaze of earl grey tea, jam and plum juice for the top. It was a triumph!

Make this with fresh figs when in season.

Old favorite, but. Made the mistake of using a few drops of almond extract I found in the pantry. Ew. Made then whole thing taste like cheap marzipan. Gross, don't do it, unless you really love cheap marzipan.

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