Tired of the same old pumpkin pie ?

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Neighbors and family gathered for a huge feast of oven-baked turkey, Randy's secret stuffing, honey ham, marshmallowed sweet potatoes, and peruvian potato stew, to stir the melting pot that is America. I brought dessert!
I knew what I was up against. Like every year, the store-bought pumpkin pie invariably makes its appearance on the dining table, plain or with a puff of whipped cream in the center. It is a Thanksgiving staple that will never go away, whether you like it or not. I like my friend Ryan's sweet potato pie better. Maybe because it is homemade, with a recipe passed along the generations. It fits with the tradition of a homemade meal that the entire family helps prepare.
What did I bring, do you ask ? Well, I wanted to go for another seasonal fruit, the apple. And I wanted something that could hold up to a rich and satisfying meal without topping over the glucose level. By the end of a Thanksgiving meal, you can't taste sugar anymore but you can still appreciate texture ! I decided to modify my apple tart recipe by caramelizing the apples first and surround them in frangipane on a thin bed of chocolate. I present you the Apple Frangipane Tart !

Apple Frangipane Tart

It is a deep-dish style tart with sweetened apple slices and a light almond crust that is best consummed warm with a dollup of whipped cream. The almond filling will remind you of macaroons, but softer. To the recipe !

Ingredients (for a 1.5" deep 10" tart):

frangipane filling:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp white flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Preparing the apples:

• 6 apples, peeled, cored and cut in eights
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup rum

For the crust:

• 1.5 cup flour
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare the crust as directed in this post.
2. Melt 1/4 cup of 60-70% chocolate on low and pour it on top of the uncooked crust in a thin layer. Let it cool down in the fridge until the chocolate is solid again.
3. Frangipane: beat the butter and the sugar to a white froth, mix in the flour, the almond flour, the egg and the almond extract until smooth and homogeneous. Set aside.
4. To caramelize the apples: in a wide pan, first melt the butter and sugar on a low setting, then add the apple slices and cook them covered on medium heat. Once they have grown soft, remove the cover, add the rum and reduce the liquid (apples give out a lot of water!) until the apples start browning a little. Limit your stirring to a minimum to keep the slices whole.
5. Finish the tart by pouring a layer of frangipane on top of the chocolate layer and adding the apple slices on top of the frangipane. Do not worry too much about arranging the slices neatly, they will slowly sink into the frangipane under heating and some will disappear under.
6. Bake at 370F for 45 minutes.
7. Serve the tart warm with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
8. To make whipped cream: pour a cold pint of heavy whipped cream into a chilled bowl, add 2-3 tbsp of powdered sugar and beat it on high until firm. Do not overbeat it or it will turn into butter !!! I recommend the "finger test". Dunk the finger and give it a taste!

Enjoy !