A-peeling twist: Penny Kazmier turns a pear dessert into a delectable Cinnamon Apple Frangipane Tart

The moment the leaves start to turn, I suddenly begin craving everything apple. Cinnamon applesauce, warm apple pie and crisp taffy apples are all on my list.

This likely has something to do with my fond childhood memories of picking apples as a family. My parents would load my sisters and me into our station wagon, along with a stack of empty bushel baskets, and we would begin our journey to the apple orchards of Michigan. After returning home, my mom would turn all those apples into homemade applesauce, pies and crisps. The entire house would smell so good, and thanks to all of her effort, we would be able to open a jar of applesauce months later and relive that day.

While I have made my own share of applesauce, this year I experimented with a recipe that originated as an elegant pear tart. With a few changes, it became an apple version worthy of sharing.

This Cinnamon Apple Frangipane Tart starts with a sweet, sandy shortbreadlike crust that comes together quickly in the food processor. The best part about it, besides the flavor, is that you press it into the pan, no rolling pin required. It is so easy!

The next layer is a creamy French pastry filling called frangipane, which is made from almond flour (or finely ground almonds), butter, sugar and eggs. (Almond flour is readily available in the baking aisle of local grocery stores, so don’t worry about grinding your own.) The mixture spreads easily into the prepared crust, but once baked, it is the texture of a very moist cake with a little crumb.

The filling comes together easily in the same food processor bowl I used to make the crust, or in a bowl with a wooden spoon. You can even make it ahead of time and refrigerate it until needed.

The frangipane mixture is flavored with vanilla and lemon zest, which complement the apples perfectly.

The star of this tart is definitely the apple, but instead of being added raw, these apples are poached in order to soften them and add extra flavor.

Peeled and cored apple halves are placed in a warm mixture of water, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon peel and are allowed to simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly softened. It is important to use an apple that will remain firm such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Braeburn as you will be slicing them later.

Once cooked, the apples are removed from the heat to cool, and the remaining liquid is reduced to create a syrup that is brushed on top of the apples prior to baking.

Assembling everything is easy. Spread the prepared frangipane in the baked crust and top it with sliced apples in whatever pattern you’d like. Brush the apples gently with the syrup and bake.

Once the tart has cooled, brush the apples with a little more syrup, slice and serve. You can drizzle a little extra syrup on the plate with the tart slice and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top if you’d like.

For a little something extra, substitute red wine for some of the water in the poaching liquid. The red wine will add a pink tint to your apples and lots of flavor.

Each component of this tart can be made ahead of time and assembled a day or two later, so it is easy to plan ahead in order to make preparation easy.

I hope you enjoy this twist on a typical apple pie.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

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Cinnamon Apple Frangipane Tart

Serves 8 to 10

Tart dough:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Poached apples:

6 cups water*

2 cups granulated sugar

3 4-inch cinnamon sticks

1 star anise (optional)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean cut in half lengthwise

2 strips lemon peel without the pith (use a vegetable peeler)

3 to 4 firm apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Braeburn)

Frangipane filling:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup almond flour

3 large whole eggs

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon zest

For serving:

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

A little extra syrup

To make the tart:

Lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until there are no visible pieces of butter remaining. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and pulse until the dough just starts to clump together.

Press the dough into the prepared tart pan. Be sure the dough is as even as possible and comes up the sides of the pan. Chill one hour, or freeze for 30 minutes. The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance or frozen up to a month ahead if tightly wrapped.

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it, greased side down, inside the chilled tart dough.

Fill the foil with baking weights or dried beans. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Gently remove the foil and weights, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the shell is lightly golden and cooked through. Set the tart pan on a wire rack to cool completely before continuing.

To make the apples:

Combine the water* and sugar in a pot large enough to also hold the apples. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise pod, vanilla and lemon peel.

Peel the apples and slice them in half. Remove the core, as well as any attached stem, with a melon baller.

Carefully place the prepared apples in the poaching liquid. The poaching liquid should almost completely cover the apples.

Return the poaching liquid to a low simmer and cover the surface of the pot with a parchment round or a small lid to submerge the apples. Simmer, occasionally flipping the apples during the cooking process, for about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overcook. Using a slotted spoon, remove the apples from the liquid and cool to room temperature on a plate. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill if preparing ahead.

Heat the remaining syrup to a boil and reduce by ¾, or until thickened to the consistency of maple syrup. Cool and refrigerate.

To make the frangipane:

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until well blended. Alternate adding the almond flour and eggs until the ingredients are incorporated evenly.

Add the all-purpose flour and mix to combine. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix until just combined.

Use right away if the other tart components are ready, or transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the tart:

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and spread the frangipane evenly over the crust. Dry the poached apples with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.

Slice the apples into ½-inch slices and arrange in a pattern on top of the frangipane. (Don’t worry about pressing the apples into the frangipane as it will puff up around them while baking.) Brush the apples with a little of the reserved syrup.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the frangipane is puffed up around the apples and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove from the tart pan and serve topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, along with a drizzle of extra syrup.

While the components of the tart can be made ahead of time, for best results, serve the tart the day you bake it.

* You may substitute a bottle of wine plus 3 cups of water. Red wine will give your apples a nice pink tint.

― Penny Kazmier