7.06.2011

Cherry Frangipane Pie/Tart

Do not adjust your monitors.  This is not a beetle pie. 

Making this pie, I learned:

1. How to blanch almonds.  Verrrry easy.  Boil whole shelled almonds for a minute, immerse almonds in ice cold water.  Air pockets are created between the shells and nuts, and then almonds can be easily removed from their skins.  (I accidentally shot a few across the kitchen...so consider it a weapon also?)

2. How to pronounce Frangipane.  It sounds like it's spelled...I wasn't expecting that.  It sounds very unnatural on the tongue, but it is fran-juh-PAIN.  Frangipane is indicative of an almond flavored filling. 

3. How to pit cherries.  I felt like Dexter, the lead role of the SHOWTIME series about a serial killer.  The OXO cherry pitter, that my sister bought for me (inspired by The Cilantropist's post), has a splatter guard.  A splatter guard!  How serial killer is that????  This is a Rated R kitchen gadget, but Williams-Sonoma won't tell you that.  Don't let your kids see you.  Put on a Disney movie.

4.  How to age cherries exponentially.  Putting cherries in the oven is a reverse face-lift for these guys.   Remind me never to go into an oven. 

5.  How to mask that the first slice is missing.  I'm all kinds of wrong.  I made this for my husband to congratulate him for his one year of fitness bootcamp.  And then I ate the first slice.  Sorry.  :(

  
Cherry Frangipane
(my changes in italics)

1 Pie crust made from scratch from AllRecipes
3/4 cup slivered blanched almonds (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1-1/2 cups pitted sweet cherries plus a few extra for you to eat as you prep  :)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Set rack to middle.  Open crust on work surface. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Rub flour over crust, rubbing out creases. Arrange floured side down in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable sides. Trim and finish edges. Pierce all over with fork. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.

Finely grind slivered blanched almonds in processor. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons amaretto, almond extract, and butter and puree. Add egg and process until well blended. Pour into crust.

Halve the pitted cherries and gently arrange cut faces down.  Arrange as densely or sparsely as you like.

Bake until filling begins to brown and is springy to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

16 comments:

  1. Missing slice? What missing slice?

    And I'm sorry to tell you, but I recently purchased the BEST cherry pitter imaginable. Because I like you so much, I will not let you know that it pits four cherries at a time.

    That's right. Four at a pop. Imagine: you could have made FOUR frang-juh-PAIN tarts in the same amount of time it took you to make one. And you could have gifted three to me.

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  2. Hahaha you are too cute/funny! Love your list -- yes sadly cherries don't look so pretty after baking but still delicious! And I've been wondering how to pronounce frangipane for quite some time now -- thanks!

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  3. Cheryl - four! Do you have to wear safety glasses for the splatter shield? I will contact you to get the name of this cherry pitter when I mass produce these. :) thx for reading.

    Xiaolu - i wish i had put more cherries in the pie, b/c they were yummy after baking.

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  4. This looks SOOO good that i almost decided to bake this - Even if it meant without the EGGS! ...But then i'm not you and wouldnt know how to 'mask' the absence of eggs. Any ideas??

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  5. Amit - There is this resource for egg replacement. It talks about the function of egg in a dessert. In this case it's thickening and binding (not leavening - which means making it flaky and light). http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-cooking/vegan-baking-substitutions.php
    THese substitutions work pretty well. I am still trying to find an answer for egg substitutes in the cases where the recipe has eggs separated (yolks and whites)...not sure about that yet.

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  6. You Rock! You're a Gem! Really helpful info on this link. :)

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  7. I love the OXO cherry pitter but somehow I still manage to splatter myself anyway - primarily if I'm wearing white. ;)
    LOVE the tart, by the way. Anything with cherries in it, I'm game!

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  8. this is just gorgeous! i want a slice with my coffee - right now! and i love just about all OXO products! ;-)

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  9. Beautiful looking tart and the flavors would pair so perfectly. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog till Monday night and I'd love it if you'd come by and link your tart up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweets-for-saturday-25.html

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  10. Now I feel like a poor cousin next to you, and especially to Cheryl! My cherry-pitter is basic, red, plastic, without a splatter guard, and can pit only one cherry at a time:) But I am very tempted to steal my mother's cherry-pitting contraption, which stands on the table and takes a lot of room, so I can be a contender:)
    I have never made a frangipane tart because my husband is allergic to almonds, but he is on a diet and this is a perfect chance to play with the forbidden nuts:)
    Congrats to your husband! Mine is doing great and driving me crazy in the meantime! On weekends he splurges, and today he has eaten 5 Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a bag of chips already! Grrrrr!
    Have a great weekend, and thanks for making me laugh - I needed it:)

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  11. AnonymousJuly 09, 2011

    Looks delish! I used my cherry pitter serial killer this weekend too! made some cherry vanilla jam. now i'm ready to go forth with tarts or pies or frangipanes or clafoutis. can you help your readers pronounce that one? ;)

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  12. JollyTomato - Thanks for stopping by! I too managed to splatter myslef!

    Lisa - Glad to see you here! I will sure check out your link! Thanks for your comment!

    Lana - I cannot speak for Cheryl, but I would like to see your mother's cherry pitter! sounds promising. lol about your husband's weekend indulgences. :) we all have our weaknesses. :)

    Shef - Cherry vanilla jam...looking forward to a taste this weekend. :) ... oh and after googling, it's klah-foo-TEE. my instinct is to say klah-FOO-tee

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  13. haha..that is funny!! cherries and almonds, must be one great combo!

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  14. A deliciously refreshing n gorgeous dessert! I'd love a slice of it now :)
    US Masala

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  15. ha! ha! Beetle pie! I've got some cherries begging to be baked into something!

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  16. manju - thanks for your comment
    aipi - nice to see you here. I will check out your link
    family spice - i think i'm going to try to make cherry turnovers next!

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