Cranberry Frangipane Tart

Fall is full of some of my favorite flavors: pumpkin, apple, pecan, and cranberries. I think these tart, little gems are kind of magical. They taste just as good on a turkey sandwich as they do in pies, breads, and other Fall desserts. Speaking of which, I recently made this Cranberry Frangipane Tart for a dinner party and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re a fan of cranberries, give it a try. And just a heads up, the cranberry jam will need to cool overnight, so if you’re making it for a special event, you may want to take that into account.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

For the Jam:

Four cups of Cranberries

½ to 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar

½ Cup of Water or Orange Juice

For the Sweet Crust:

1 Cup All-purpose Flour

¼ Cup Granulated Sugar

⅛ Teaspoon of Salt

1 Stick of Butter (keep it cold)

1 Egg Yolk

2 Teaspoons of Cold Water

For the Frangipane:

1 Cup Almond Flour or Almond Meal

1 Tablespoon of All-purpose Flour

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Stick of Butter (this time at room temp)

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Here’s How To Make It:

Step 1: The day before you’re going to make your tart, you’ll need to make your cranberry jam. It’s not difficult to make; it just needs to cool and set up in your fridge overnight. Add four cups of cranberries to a large saucepan, along with a ½ cup of sugar, and water or orange juice.

If you like your cranberry jam more on the sweet side, simply add more sugar. I personally like mine on the tart side, because in this dessert, it pairs well with the sweetness of the frangipane.

Cook your jam on a medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes while it reduces, gently encouraging them to burst with the back of a wooden spoon when they’re ready. Once you have a nice consistency, turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. As soon as it’s cool enough, put it in a bowl, cover it and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Step 2: Hopefully, you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep, so you can make the best tart you’ve ever made in your life. In my case, this was the best tart I’ve ever made in my life, because it’s the only tart I’ve made. I’ve made the elements before, but I’ve never made them together as a tart. Let’s move on and make the dough.

If you really, really wanted to, you could use one of those premade, store bought pie crusts for this, but there’s something great about being able to make your own pie crust successfully. This one is a little different, because it has added sugar and an egg yolk, but if you’re not interested in that, you could also make a regular pie crust, as well.

Combine one cup of flour with the sugar and salt, then work in the butter with a food processor or a pastry cutter, like me. If you’re doing this by hand, it’s a great arm workout. Once your butter has been added properly, it’ll look and feel kind of like fine, soft sand. When you get it to this point, separate an egg yolk from an egg, and beat it together with the two teaspoons of water. Gently add in the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to over mix. Over mixing can make your crust tough instead of flaky.

Without overworking it, squish together your crust dough and wrap it up in some cling film. Then throw it in the fridge for an hour or so.

Pro tip: It’s great to use cold butter and cold water for this step, because you want to keep your butter as cold as possible.

Step 3: Once your dough has chilled, flour a surface in your kitchen and roll it out. Personally, I like to cover pretty much everything in flour at this point...counter, rolling pin, my hands, and even the dough itself. Making sure it doesn’t stick to things is a good way to keep from overworking the crust.

Step 4: After you’ve rolled out your crust, place it in a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. I used a round one, but I’m sure a rectangular one would work just as well. Roll a little piece of dough up and use it to press your crust into the side of your pan. This helps it so it won’t tear.

Step 5: Now that your crust is placed in the tart pan, poke some holes in it using a fork or butter knife. Place your tart crust on a baking sheet and put it in your freezer for about 30 minutes. Don’t worry about the overhang, you can cut it off after it’s baked.

Step 6: While your tart crust is in the freezer, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. As soon as your 30 minutes of freezer time is up, pop your tart into the oven for five minutes to blind bake it. Blind baking helps your crust remain nice and flaky instead of getting soggy when you add your filling. You can use pie weights or beans. I didn’t make the effort, however. When your five minutes are up, take out your crust and let it cool.

Step 7: As your crust cools, turn the heat of your oven down to 375 degrees and make the frangipane. In your KitchenAid or a mixing bowl, add your almond flour, flour, and sugar and mix it together. Once they’re mixed add the butter and mix. Add your eggs, one at a time, then the almond extract. Mix on a low-to-medium speed until everything is super smooth.

Step 8: It’s time to assemble the tart! Take your cranberry jam out of the fridge and spread a thin, smooth layer of it over the top of your tart crust. It’s a gorgeous color! After you have a smooth layer of cranberry jam, pour the frangipane almond mixture over the top, filling the crust. If you wanted to, you could swirl your cranberry jam with the frangipane mixture, but I liked the top secret ruby-colored reveal when I cut into the tart. It’s like a fun little surprise. You can also decorate your tart with whole cranberries and almonds before you put it in for the final bake. I was admittedly too lazy and too hungry to do this, so I just put it in the oven as plain as could be.

Step 9: Bake your tart for about 30 to 40 minutes. I baked mine for 30 and then started checking it to see if a toothpick came out clean at three minute intervals after that. When that toothpick comes out clean, take your tart out of the oven and let it cool.

Step 10: Cut uneven slices, making sure your piece is the biggest. Give everyone else smaller pieces and enjoy!