Naughty but nice: my fail-proof Peach Frangipane.

How to pronounce it: fran-jee-pan-ee.

I say that it’s a bit naughty, because the original recipe contains sugar as well as wheat. I am currently working on a gluten free, sugar free version, but am still trying to perfect the tart shell and will keep you posted. The nice part really does not need any explanation…the smell filling your kitchen is worth the bake by itself!

Luckily all the sugar in this recipe can be replaced 1:1 with Xylitol. YEAY!

**For the powdered / confectioners sugar – simply blitz 1 cup of Xylitol + 1 Tbs of cornflour together in a food processor,  measure out the required quantity and store the remainder in an airtight container.**

Not to be confused with the Frangipani plant (Plumeria), in the Pastry Kitchen,  a  Frangipane is typically a filling made from, or flavored with almonds.

The origin of its name seems to be shrouded in secrecy, however. Directly translated from  Italian it literately means “that breaks the bread”, which does not make a lot of scene, so some references credit it to its most probable inventor – a Roman nobleman with the family name Frangipane, who later became a perfumer to Louis XIII of France.

It might seem like quite a sizable recipe, but it is actually just a few very easy steps and is absolutely fail-proof.

What you need

Tart shell:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup powdered icing sugar OR Xylitol sugar free replacement **
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 130g butter,  cut into small dice and refrigerated
• 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white for the filling)

 

Poached peaches:

• 2 cups water
• ¾ cup sugar OR Xylitol
• ½ lemon, juice and peel
• 1 vanilla pod split open OR 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A large pinch of salt
• 5  ripe peaches OR pears / apples / cherries / plumbs to make up the same volume

 

Frangipane- the tart filling:

• 85g  softened butter
• 2/3 cup sugar / Xylitol
• 3/4 cup almond flour / ground blanched almonds
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 XL egg plus 1 egg white reserved from crust
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract

How to poach the peaches:

Place the water, sugar, lemon juice and peel, cinnamon stick, vanilla and salt in a saucepan bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Halve and stone the peaches. Softly lower the peaches in the simmering liquid and poach over a low heat until they are soft – it takes around 8-10 minutes. Leave the peaches to cool down in the poaching liquid. *If you find yourself with some very clingy stones, simply poach the peaches whole and add a few minutes to the cooking time*

How to make the tart shell: 

Place the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse again until the butter is evenly distributed. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to turn from dry to clumpy. It happens very quickly – don’t overwork it! As soon as you can press a few clumps together to form a dough, you are good to go.

Tip the dough into a buttered loose bottomed 22cm tart tin and evenly press into the bottom and up the sides with your fingers. (Work softy like a little kitten walking on  thick grass to avoid a dense crust :- ). Freeze the tart shell for 30 minutes. Butter a piece of tin foil on the “dull side” and press lightly onto the frozen tart shell (shiny side up in other words). Bake in a pre-heated oven @ 180°C for 23-25 minutes, remove from the oven, remove the foil and leave to cool on a wire rack.

How to make the frangipane:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

 To finish the tart: 

Spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled tart shell.

Remove the poached peaches from their liquid and drain  on paper towels. Cut each peach into medium thick slices, carefully arrange onto the frangipane covering it evenly .

Bake @ 180°C for 40-42 minutes in a pre-heated oven.

Enjoy the tart slightly warm or at room temperature with creme fraiche or whipped cream and add some fresh berries to make it even more lush.

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