Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
A Wonderful Sweet French Almond Custard Fruit Tart
This Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart is a pleasant surprise that sweetens up tart crabapples. Making this a fantastic combination of sweet and tart. This is a quick and easy way to use up the abundance of crabapples from the fall harvest. The frangipane is a delicious sweet, buttery almond custard like paste. It is a creamy consistency that is spread on top of the pie pastry. It adds just the right amount of moisture and flavoring. These little crabapples don’t get lost in any over powering flavors crating a perfect marriage. This is a beautiful presentation for any dinner party or just because. Make it for yourself or the whole family. It makes 6 to 8 servings.
How To Pick And Clean Crabapples For Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
I have a beautiful crabapple tree that is loaded with fruit this year. I am trying to make recipes with them before they fall to the ground. Because they are so tart one is limited on how to put them into recipes.
When collecting your crabapples try to find the ones that don’t have any worm holes in them. There are the obvious holes you can see but there are other worms that are very tiny and leave a small trail that is lighter colored under the skin of the apple. There is a white covering over crabapples that can easily be scrubbed off of the crabapples (like you can see in the photo below). Then after you clean them you can see these lines of the worms. It’s pretty clear to see them after you wash them.
How To Core Crabapples For Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
When making Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart I cut the crabapples in half. First I cut the top end and bottom ends off with a paring knife and then core them out with the end of a vegetable peeler like the photos below.
I measure how many I am going to use to create this recipe by filling my tart dish half full of whole crabapples (like the photo below). I clean a little more then what I need so I can pick the most colorful ones.
Creating The Pie Crust For Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
I have tried store bought pie crust for this tart and it was’t as good as making my own. Store bought doesn’t have a little salt and sugar in it like I like it for this recipe. Although, I like it made this way for all my fruit pies. It really helps bring out the flavor of the tart. Store bought is dull in flavor so try to at least sprinkle a little sugar in the bottom of the store bought crust and press it into the crust when forming it to the tart pan. It really helps. I’ll list my crust recipe in the ingredients and instructions below.
I use a ceramic 9 inch baking tart pan but you can use a tart pan that has a drop out bottom. This is very convenient and beautiful for serving.
How To Make The Vegan Frangipane
The traditional French frangipane has eggs in it to create a wonderful custard consistency. But! For this vegan recipe we are going to use an egg replacer. I like using Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer brand for this vegan creation. It works really well. I use 1 tablespoon of the replacer and whisk it together with 2 tablespoons of water. It has instructions in the back of the bag to let the mixture sit for 1 minute after you whisk it together. Make sure to not let it sit for longer then that. It will gel up too hard to use if you let it sit longer then a minute.
Just fallow the instructions below and spread the frangipane evenly on top of the pastry crust. It will be about a half inch in thickness on top of the pastry. It won’t look like very much but it will rise up when cooking.
After you evenly spread the frangipane then you can add your half cut crabapples. You can arrange them in any design that you like. I start with one in the middle and be creative from there.
Cooking and Glazing Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
It may sound like a high temperature to bake this tart but I cook it at 375 degrees. I cook it for 30 to 35 minutes. Although everyone’s oven is different. Do check on it at about 25 minutes and keep an eye on it. It can turn very dark fast.
For those watching your sugar intake you can leave the tart plan without a glaze. Like the photo below.
If you prefer a decadent glaze then apricot jelly or jam is the classic topper for this. Just heat it up until it becomes runny and pour over the tart. Spread it around evenly with a pastry brush and it will look like the photos below. It gives it that extra fruit sweetness that mingles everything so well. Perfectly French! Just like all the pastry shops in Paris.
This is such a wonderful fall treat. I hope you like this vegan creation of mine as much as we do. Enjoy!
Vegan Crabapple Frangipane Tart
Equipment
- 2 Medium mixing bowls, for pastry and 1 for frangipane mixture.
- 1 Small mixing bowl for egg replacer mixture.
- 1 Pie pastry cutter or two knives
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Electric hand mixer
- 1 Scraper
- 1 sharp paring knife
- 1 Set of measuring spoons
- 1 Set of measuring cups
- 1 Fruit zester
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Party brush, for applying melted apricot jelly for glaze
Ingredients
Pastry Crust
- 2½ cups Organic White Flour
- 2 Sticks Vegan Butter, Frozen, cubed into ½ inch cut pieces. Put back into freezer until you need it. Don't let it get soft.
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 3 tsp Monk Fruit Sweetener or Sugar
- ¾ cup Ice Cold Water
Vegan Frangipane Filling
- ½ cup Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Monk Fruit Sweetener or Sugar
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tbsp Organic White Flour
- 6 Tbsp Melted Vegan Butter
- Zest of Half a Lemon
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Egg Replacer
- 2 Tbsp Water, mix with egg replacer
Crabapples
- about 12 to 20 Crabapples, Cut in half, cored and enough to fill your tart
- 1½ Tbsp Monk Fruit Sweetener, To sprinkle on top of tart before cooking
Apricot Glaze
- ⅓ to ½ cup Heated and Liquified Apricot Jelly or Jam, Pour over tart
Instructions
Pastry Crust
- In a large bowl add the organic white flour, sugar and salt. Mix together. Then add half of the cold butter. With a pastry pie cutter cut the butter into the flour. After the butter is cut in put the remaining cut butter into the flour. Cut butter into the flour until it is cut into very small pieces.
- Then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ice cold water in and cut it into the flour and butter. Add more cold water a tablespoon at a time and continue cutting into it with the pastry cutter. Do not add too much water at a time. Do this over and over until it starts to form a ball. Then with your hands need it into a ball in the bowl. Don't over work it or get it too warm with your hands. If it gets sticky add a little more flour.
- On a floured surface roll out your ball of dough large enough to fit your tart pan. When it is layed out in your tart pan press it into it and cut it level with the edges of the tart pan. If it is a ceramic dish like in the photos above use a sharp knife and cut and trim the pastry a half inch down from the rim of the dish. Set it aside and make the frangipane.
Vegan Frangipane Filling
- Mix together in a small bowl the 1 tablespoon of egg replacer and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix with a fork or small whisk and set aside for one minute.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the almond flour, monk fruit sweetener or sugar, sea salt, organic white flour and mix together well. Add the melted vegan butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg replacer mixture and vanilla extract.
- With an electric hand mixer mix all of the ingredients together until well blended. It should be a little thick.
- Spread this mixture in the bottom of your prepared pastry crust.
Crabapples
- Per-heat the oven to 375°
- Wash and scrub the crabapples with a vegetable scrubber. Cut them in half and core them with the end of a vegetable peeler like the pictures above. When you have enough arrange them in the design that you wish on top of the frangipane in the pastry crust.
- Sprinkle the 1½ tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener or sugar to the top of the tart.
- Put in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Check it after 25 minutes to see how dark it is getting. You don't want it to get too dark.
- When done take out of the oven and wait one hour before cutting into OR let it completely cook and add the heated apricot jelly to the top as a glaze. Spread the melted runny glaze with a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. Then serve. It will make 6 to 8 servings.
- Enjoy!