Happy Bastille Day!

It's Bastille Day! The French call it  La Fête Nationale, and it's as big a celebration in France as Independence Day is in the United States. So, how better to celebrate the day than to go back to my French culinary school roots for inspiration.

My friends know that, long before I considered becoming a professional chef, I loved to bake, especially desserts. When I did decide to go to culinary school, I seriously considered focusing on pastry, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to specialize too early in my career, so I opted to go for the broader culinary program my school offered. It had a savory focus, but desserts and pastry techniques were a major part of the curriculum.

One of my favorite French pastry elements is frangipane. Frangipane is an almond filling that is used for tarts, croissants, and other pastries. It's so yummy and so easy to make. The first recipe I made in culinary school using frangipane was a pear tart. I can still remember that tart, the flavor of the almonds with the pears was lovely.

Pears aren't really in season right now, it's a bit early to get good ones, but peaches are coming in to their own. Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, I love eating them raw as well as cooking with them. So this week's recipe is inspired by Bastille Day and combines two of my favorite things, peaches and frangipane. Enjoy!

Peach and Frangipane Tart

Makes 1, 9 to 10 inch tart

For the tart crust:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of kosher salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frangipane:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour

zest of 1 lemon

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond liqueur, dark rum, or brandy

3 to 4 large peaches, pits removed and sliced very thin

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the tart crust: place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the dry ingredients are mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like damp sand with pebbles mixed through. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the food processor bowl, and pulse until the dough comes together into shaggy clumps. Remove the dough from the food processor and gently knead to bring it together into a cohesive mass. (Don't work the dough too much, you're just kneading it enough to bring it together.)

Take the dough and press it into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removeable bottom. Flatten the dough across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the dough is well chilled, line the bottom of the shell with foil or parchment paper, then fill the shell with rice, dry beans, or pie weights. (Weighing down the crust will ensure that the bottom of the tart stays flat as it bakes, otherwise it will puff up and you won't be able to fill it with the frangipane.) 

Transfer the tart pan to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Lift the edge of the foil to check the crust, if it looks set, then remove the foil and the rice/beans/pie weights. Transfer the tart shell back to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the edges just start to become golden brown. Remove the tart shell from the oven and allow to cool. 

To make the frangipane: place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until the butter and sugar are well mixed and fluffy. Add the almond flour and zest and process until well mixed.  Add the eggs, vanilla and liquor of choice, and process until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary.

To assemble and bake the tart: Pour the frangipane into the cooled tart shell. Starting from the outside edge of the tart, insert the peach slices cut side down into the frangipane,

overlapping them as you place them in the tart shell. As you add more slices, the peaches will start to take the form of an unfolding rose. Once you have reached the very center of the tart, place it in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the frangipane is golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Remove the tart from the pan, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.