Sometimes the traditional holiday pies get a little boring and repetitive. But there is also something about pumpkin and apple during the holidays that just seems right. So why not take a traditional pie and liven it up a bit? We’ve taken an apple tart and crossed it with an almond filling – frangipane – to add some excitement to our holiday dessert bar!

Apple Tart Recipe with a Twist

Serves 10 to 12

Sweet Tart Pastry

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Almond Filling (frangipane)

1 cup blanched slivered almonds

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg plus 1 large egg white

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and soften to room temperature

Apple Top

4-6 good cooking apples (we suggest either gala or Braeburn)

Lemon water

Glaze

1/2 cup apple jelly

For the Apple Tart Pastry

• Whisk together the yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor with flour 1-second pulses. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk; wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Unwrap and roll out between 2 lightly floured large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap (or piece 4 small sheets together to form 2 large sheets) to a 15-inch round.

If the dough becomes soft and sticky, slip onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until workable, 20 to 30 minutes

• Transfer the dough to an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom by rolling the dough loosely over the rolling pun and unrolling it over the pan. Working around the circumference of the pan, ease the dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the corners with the other hand. Press the dough against the fluted sides of the pan, patching breaks or cracks if necessary. (If some sections of the edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding the excess dough back on itself.) Run the rolling pin over the tip of the tart pan to remove excess dough. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet or large plate and freeze 30 minutes. (The dough-lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 month.)
• Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Set aside the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet; lightly spray one side of an 18-inch square of heavy-duty foil with nonstick cooking spray. Press the foil, greased side down, inside the frozen tart shell, folding the excess foil over the edge of the tart pan; fill with metal or ceramic pie weights. Bake until dry and pale gold and the edges have just begun to color, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights by gathering the edges of the foil and pulling up and out. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

For the Almond Filling:

• Pulse the almonds, sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground, about twenty-five 2-second pulses; process until very finely ground, about 10 seconds longer. Add the egg, egg white, and both extracts; process until combined, about 10 seconds. Add the butter and process until no lumps remain, about 10 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the workbowl with a rubber spatula and process to combine thoroughly, about 10 seconds longer. (The filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days. Before using, let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes to soften, stirring 3 or 4 times.)

To Assemble, Bake, and Glaze the Apple Tart

• Fill tart with frangipane.
• Quarter and de-core your apples. Slice thinly and place in lemon water as you slice them. Once they are all sliced, start on the outer edge of the tart and create a spiral as shown in the photo.
• Bake tart on the baking sheet until the crust is deep golden brown and the almond filling is puffed, browned, and firm to the tough, about 45 minutes,, rotating the baking sheet front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool the tart on the baking sheet on a wire rack 10 minutes.
• For the Glaze: Bring the apple jelly to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to smooth out any lumps. When boiling and completely melted, brush the glaze on the apples. (The tart can be kept at room temperature longer but should be served the day it is made.)
• Remove the outer ring of the tart pan, slide a thin metal spatula between the bottom of the crust and the tart pan bottom to release, then slip the tart onto a cardboard round or serving platter; cut into wedges and serve.

Share Your Apple Tart with us!

Here at the Harrison House Suites, we love it when guests make our recipes and then share them with us. So go ahead, send us your photos and we’ll feature them on our Facebook. Have any questions? Just shoot us an email or Facebook message and we’ll respond within a day.