Sunday Feast № 51 | Almond Frangipane and Cranberry Tart with Honeyed Pistachios

Ever since late fall, there was a bag of fresh cranberries still hanging around in the bottom drawer of my fridge. They should have been gone by now, meaning eaten, but no, and suprisingly still looked highly edible. Maybe it is the skin... Anyhow. Here I had in my hands the latest issue (December/January 2017) of Saveur magazine, with this tart on the cover. Well, "those cranberries are dead now!" The original recipe called for ¾ cup frozen cranberries, which I thought suprising considering my state of fridge affairs and perception of the season, but probably normal for other fridges-freezers, and the original recipe called more sugar to mix them in. Also, seeing all the butter mixture beating, this recipe pushed me to acquire a hand-held electric mixer despite trying to keep the kitchen as "decluttered" as humanly possible - for me. Hand-held since I am still not ready to graduate, spacewise and otherwise, to a standup mixer. Give it time. Before that, bake this tart.

Almond frangipane ¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar ¼ cup + 1 tbsp almond paste 2 large eggs 4 oz unsalted butter at room temperature ¾ tsp vanilla extract ⅛ tsp finely grated orange zest 3 tbsp all purpose flour ¼ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp Kosher salt Crust 4 oz unsalted butter softened ¼ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1 large egg yolk 1¼ cup all purpose flour ¼ tsp Kosher salt Fruit and topping ¾-1 cup cranberries 1 tbsp sugar ¼ cup raw unsalted pistachios finely chopped 1 tsp honey

Frangipane: In a bowl, beat the sugar, almond paste, and 1 egg on medium speed until blended. Add the butter, vanilla, and orange zest, and beat until smooth. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the remaining egg. In a separate bowl, briefly whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat at low speed until just absorbed. Transfer to a storage container, cover, and chill for at least 1 hr or up to 2 days. Crust: In a clean bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scape down the bowl, then beat in the egg yolk. Combine the flour and salt, then add to the bowl, beating on low speed until just incorporated (sandy). Place dough in a 9-in/22-cm round fluted tart pan. Using fingertips, press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan to cover in a very thin (~⅛ in/3 mm) layer. Dock the dough every 2 in/ 5 cm with a fork. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and freeze for 10 min. Meanwhile, set a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Toss well cranberries with sugar. Retrive the baking sheet and the frangipane. Add the frangipane to the center of the tart crust, and gently spread with spatula to evenly fill all the way to the edges. Individually place the cranberries in frangipane in a pattern you like, leaving room between berries. Discard excess sugar and juice. Bake until the top is lightly browned, ~ 40 min. If frangipane looks puffy in batches, it will settle. Remove the tart and let cool for 5 min, then carefully transfer to a rack to cool completly. In a small, mix the pistachios with the honey using fingers. Top the tart with small clusters of the honeyed nuts. Unmold the tart just before slicing.