This Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Chocolate Ganache has to be one of the sexiest, most beautiful and delicious tarts out there! Just imagine a buttery, flaky tart shell, filled with a slightly sweet frangipane filling and topped with a decadent, bittersweet, chocolate ganache. What makes it even more appealing is the fresh berries, crunchy chopped pistachios, and those chocolate swirls. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to grab a slice of this (or two, or three!)
What is Frangipane?
For many, frangipane tart is not very common. Even though it makes for a scrumptious dessert and it’s not difficult to make, it sounds fancy enough to put many off even trying it.
Frangipane is basically a combination of butter, sugar, eggs, almond flour and a little bit of cake or pastry flour. It’s very popular among French and Italian desserts, especially during the holidays season.
This Pistachio Frangipane, it’s a variation of the classic. To the above-listed ingredients, there is the addition of pistachios and Amaretto liqueur. It’s extra delicious!
Why you’ll love this Pistachio Frangipane Tart and Chocolate Ganache?
- Flavour: The combination of pistachio, slightly sweet frangipane filling, chocolate ganache and fresh berries it’s mouth-watering, It’s intriguing, indulgent, sexy and will draw you in for more than a slice!
- Showstopper: Visually, it’s stunning! The combination of textures and colours are so appealing and definitely has that “WOW” factor.
- The Pastry Shell Crust: You can’t say no to a buttery, flaky crust!
- Make-Ahead: To save you some time, you can prepare the tart shell and blind-bake it the day before. On the day, you will only need to whip up the frangipane filling, chocolate ganache and decorate it with fresh berries (optional).
Does Frangipane Tart need to be Refrigerated?
Not all frangipane tarts need to be refrigerated. Most frangipane tarts only need the refrigeration step whilst chilling the dough and the tart shell.
For this Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Chocolate Ganache, however, it’s important to refrigerate the tart after you poured in the ganache to allow it to set before serving.
Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Chocolate Ganache
This Pistachio Frangipane Tart with Chocolate Ganache has to be one of the sexiest, most beautiful and delicious tarts out there!
Just imagine a buttery, flaky tart shell, filled with a slightly sweet frangipane filling and topped with a decadent, bittersweet, chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
For the Tart Shell
- 270 g cake/pastry flour, sifted
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 30 g almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 125 g unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frangipane Filling
- 90 g pistachio
- 35 g almond flour
- 35 g cake/pastry flour
- pinch of salt
- 125 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 125 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15 ml Amaretto
For the Ghocolate Ganache
- 120 g bittersweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate bar
- 95 g double cream (suitable for whipping)
- 30 g liquid glucose
- 20 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
Make the Tart Shell
- In the bowl of a food processor mix together the pastry flour, almond flour, powdered sugar and salt. Blitz on/off just to combine.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Pulse on/off until the butter is combined with the dry ingredients. You should obtain a consistency similar to "wet sand". Add in the egg, lightly beaten with a fork, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until a ball of dough starts forming and collecting on the sides of the food processor.
- Bring the dough together using your hands and shape it into a round disc. Cover tightly in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature. Flour your worktop surface, rolling pin and dough well. Roll out the dough into a round shape of about 30 cm diameter.
- Prepare a 25 cm diameter tart tin by lightly covering the surface with butter and a light dusting of flour. Then, carefully transfer the dough into the tart tin. Gently lift and press down the dough. Use your finger to gently press the dough into all the groves. Remove the excess dough using a paring knife.
- Punch the tart shell base with a fork all around. Refrigerate the shell for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170 °C.
Blind Bake the Tart Shell
- Remove the tart shell from the fridge. Cover it with parchment paper (enough to cover the tart shell top all around) then place your desired weights (beans, rice or ceramic baking weights). You should fill your tart with weights to the brim to avoid the tart from shrinking whilst baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and place the tart shell back in the oven for another 10 minutes. It should be a pale light brown.
- When ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool down a bit until you prepare the frangipane filling.
The Frangipane Filling
- Finely chop the pistachio using a food processor. You should obtain a consistency similar to the almond flour. Be careful not to transform the pistachio into a paste!
- In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a stand or a hand mixer.
- Lightly beat the eggs, then pour them in slowly over the butter and sugar mixture. Add it in 2 - 3 batches and allow the egg to fully incorporate each time before adding more. The mixture will not look homogenous at this stage but everything will come together once the dry ingredients incorporate.
- Add in the cake flour, almond flour and chopped pistachios, together with the Amaretto. Mix everything well using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer the filling to the tart shell. You can add the cream to a sac a poche and pipe it in the tart shell or you can simply use the rubber spatula. Distribute the cream evenly and bake at 170 °C for 20 minutes. At this stage, the filling will not be completely set and firm but it will have a light brown colour. That's because the frangipane will firm up once it cools down.
- Let the tart cool down completely.
The Chocolate Ganache
- To a bowl, add the chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate bar.
- In a small pot, pour in the double cream and liquid glucose. Heat it up until it almost reaches the boiling point. Then pour it over the chocolate and wait for 4 - 5 minutes before stirring.
- Using a whisk, gently mix the cream and chocolate until it is fully incorporated and you have no lumps left. Add in the butter at room temperature and stir.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the tart and distribute it evenly using a rubber spatula.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before serving.
- If you desire, you can decorate the tart with a mix of fresh fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and some more chopped pistachios.
Notes
Tips:
- For the chocolate ganache, you can use an equal ratio of chocolate and double cream if you don't have liquid glucose available. For this tart, you can use 120 g chocolate chips or a finely chopped chocolate bar, and then add the hot double cream over it. Mix, let it cool down for a few minutes, then pour it over the tart.
- If you find that your dough has warmed up too much when rolling, simply place it back in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes. The temperature of your kitchen and/or environment you are in will influence the texture of your dough. Take your time, be present, and analyse the texture of your dough.
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