Blueberry and Cardamom Frangipane Tart
During these dreary winter days, we love to get in the kitchen and make some sweet treats to warm the soul.
This time of year we’ve found inspiration from the Swedish tradition of Fika. Who knows how to do winter better than the Scandinavians? Fika translates to “coffee break” and the Swedes practice it religiously. It typically consists of drinking coffee and eating baked goods with friends, loved ones, and coworkers.
One of our favorite things to bake (and eat) is frangipane, the classic French almond cream. Once baked, it has the consistency of an underdone cookie. It’s naughty! Frangipane is usually paired with various fruits or jams, and thankfully we had some blueberries squirreled away that we saved from our favorite pick-your-own berry farm this past summer. They paired perfectly with cardamom, a popular spice used in Swedish bakes with a beautiful, floral, lemony taste.
This recipe is an homage to the Swedish tradition of Fika and a delicious blend of local summer berries and winter warmth.
Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Crust Dough):
Beat together until creamy:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
Add and mix until combined:
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg yolk (save the egg white for the frangipane)
Add:
1-1/4 cups AP flour
Mix until there are no dry lumps and it can be formed into a ball. Shape into a disk, wrap in beeswax wrap or plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Cardamom Frangipane
Beat together until creamy:
1 stick (95g) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup sugar
Add and mix until combined:
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cardamom seeds (from the crushed pods)
1 egg, plus the remaining egg white from the pâte sucrée
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup AP flour
Once combined, set aside.
Blueberry Mix:
1-1/2 cups blueberries
2 Tbls. sugar
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
Mix until combined. Set aside.
Time to assemble!
Preheat the oven to 350° and remove the dough from the fridge.
Butter the inside of the two piece tart pan, then dust the pan with flour.
Once the dough is warm enough to roll out, stop. Take a breath.
This next step is why most people buy pre-made crust and dough from the grocery store. Pâte sucrée loves to crack apart and split. We’ve found that rolling it out in between two sheets of parchment paper works great and helps you transfer it to the tart pan. The saving grace with pâte sucrée is that you can patch it back together inside the pan. Work the dough into all the cracks and corners, aiming to have crust that is roughly an 1/8” thick all around. Take a fork and poke a series of holes into the bottom of the dough. This will help air pockets from forming.
Blind bake with pie weights or dried beans for 15 minutes.
Remove the tart shell and weights. Brush with a beaten egg to seal the fork holes. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes until a light golden brown, then remove.
Turn up the heat to 375°.
Spread half of the frangipane into the shell. Then spoon and push half of the berry mix into the first layer of frangipane. Add the remaining frangipane and berry mix. Make sure not to smear or swirl the blueberries into the frangipane — instead, push the berries into the batter. This will ensure you get a tart with defined pockets of frangipane and berry. Very sexy.
Bake for 35 minutes.
When the frangipane has firmed up and turned a beautiful golden color, it’s time to pull it. Allow the tart to cool as it will help the crust shrink away from the sides.
Dust the tart with confectioner sugar and the remaining zest from the other half of the lemon.
Enjoy — it’s one of life’s great pleasures!
