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Elegant Summer Stone Fruit Tart with Almond Frangipane

Prepare to impress with this exquisite Summer Stone Fruit Tart, a truly showstopping dessert that perfectly captures the essence of the season. This French-inspired creation boasts a delicate balance of flavors and textures: a buttery, sweet pastry crust cradling a soft, aromatic almond frangipane filling, all crowned with an artful arrangement of fresh stone fruits. Whether you’re hosting a sophisticated dinner party or simply seeking a delightful treat, this tart promises to be a memorable culinary experience.

What makes this tart truly special is its versatility and charm. While the stunning stone fruit “roses” are a signature element, don’t let them intimidate you! They are far simpler to create than they appear, and even a casual spiral arrangement of sliced fruit will yield a beautiful and delicious result. We’ll guide you through each step, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable baking journey from start to finish.

Key Ingredients for Your Perfect Fruit Tart

Crafting this delightful stone fruit tart requires a few star ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving its signature taste and texture. Let’s delve into what you’ll need and why these components are essential.

What is Stone Fruit?

Stone fruit refers to a category of fruits characterized by a large, hard pit or “stone” at their center, which encases the seed. These juicy, flavorful fruits are synonymous with summer and come in a vibrant array of colors and tastes. Common examples include peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and cherries. For this tart, a mix of varieties like white and yellow nectarines, plums, pluots, and apricots adds visual appeal and a complex flavor profile. When selecting your fruit, opt for those that are just beginning to ripen – firm enough to slice thinly, yet pliable enough to form into elegant shapes.

What is Frangipane?

Frangipane, also known as almond cream, is a classic French pastry filling. It’s a rich and tender mixture made primarily from butter, almond flour, powdered sugar, and eggs. Unlike a custard, frangipane starts as a soft, spreadable consistency and transforms into a wonderfully moist, cake-like filling with a distinctive almond flavor once baked. It provides a luxurious base for the fruit, baking around each slice and infusing the tart with its delicate aroma and irresistible texture.

Essential Shopping List:

• All-purpose flour: The foundation for both the crisp tart crust and a touch for the frangipane.
• Unsalted butter: Softened to perfection, this enriches both the pastry and the filling, providing unparalleled flavor and texture.
• Large eggs: At room temperature, eggs bind the ingredients in both the crust and frangipane, contributing to their structure and richness.
• Almond flour: Finely ground, this is the heart of the frangipane, delivering its signature almond flavor and tender crumb.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens the frangipane, ensuring it’s delicately sweet and balanced against the fruit.
• Granulated sugar: Used in the sweet tart crust for a perfect hint of sweetness.
• Kosher salt: A pinch enhances the flavors in both the crust and the frangipane.
• Almond extract: Elevates the almond notes in the frangipane, making it truly exceptional.
• Vanilla paste or extract: Adds another layer of warm, sweet aroma to the frangipane.
• Variety of Stone Fruit: Choose 6-7 whole fruits such as nectarines (white and yellow), plums, pluots, and apricots for a stunning display of colors and flavors.

Crafting the Perfect Sweet Tart Crust (Pâté Sucrée)

The base of our Summer Fruit Tart is a classic French Pâté Sucrée, or sweet pastry crust. This dough is incredibly simple to prepare and remarkably forgiving, making it ideal for bakers of all skill levels. All the ingredients come together quickly in a stand mixer, followed by a brief chilling period. Once chilled, it’s rolled out and gently pressed into a tart pan, preferably one with a removable bottom for easy serving and presentation.

Don’t be concerned if the dough cracks or tears while you’re working with it. This resilient pastry can be easily patched with any excess scraps, ensuring a flawless finish. Prior to filling, the crust will be “par-baked” (partially baked) to prevent a soggy bottom. For this step, you’ll need parchment paper and pie weights (or dried rice/beans) to keep the crust from shrinking. For a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on mastering this crust, be sure to check out our Sweet Tart Crust post.

The Luxurious Frangipane Filling

The frangipane filling for this fruit tart is both quick to prepare and exceptionally delicious. Unlike many fruit tarts that rely on custard, our frangipane offers a unique texture and a delightful almond flavor that perfectly complements the fresh stone fruit. It acts as a cozy bed, allowing the fruit roses to nestle beautifully within. Starting as a soft, spreadable consistency, it bakes into a wonderfully moist and tender cake-like layer, providing a rich counterpoint to the vibrant fruit.

You’ll know the frangipane is perfectly baked when the exposed areas turn a golden brown and caramelize slightly, and it feels gently springy to the touch. Any areas directly touching the fruit may appear slightly less set due to the fruit’s natural juices, but this is completely normal. If you’re curious about pronunciation, you can listen here for how to say “frangipane.”

Making the Frangipane:

Gather your ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Powdered sugar
• Almond Flour
• All-purpose flour
• Almond extract
• Vanilla paste or extract
• Large egg (room temperature)

To prepare the frangipane, simply combine all listed ingredients in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix until the mixture is entirely smooth and homogeneous. The process is straightforward, yielding a rich and flavorful filling that forms the perfect foundation for your tart.

Creating Exquisite Stone Fruit Roses

While there are numerous ways to adorn a fruit tart, crafting delicate stone fruit roses offers an unparalleled elegance. This technique might seem intricate, but with a little practice, you’ll find yourself creating these edible blossoms with surprising ease. Many bakers find the process of rolling the roses to be quite meditative and a genuinely enjoyable aspect of the baking project. Dedicate about 45 minutes to this step, embracing the artistic process—perfection is not the goal, beauty and enjoyment are!

Top Tips for Perfect Stone Fruit Roses:

• Choose Freestone Varieties: Whenever possible, select freestone peaches or nectarines. These varieties, typically available later in the stone fruit season (July-August), have pits that are easily removed, simplifying your preparation.
• Optimal Ripeness is Key: The ideal fruit for roses is *just* starting to ripen. It should feel firmer than fully ripe eating fruit, but still possess enough flexibility to bend without breaking when sliced. This delicate balance ensures thin, manageable slices.
• Invest in a Sharp Knife: Precision is paramount. You’ll need a very thin, exceptionally sharp knife to achieve the desired 1/16-inch slices. A dull knife will only frustrate you and increase the risk of accidents.
• Utilize End Pieces for Fullness: The small, less uniform “nub” pieces from the ends of the fruit aren’t ideal for the main roll of the rose. Instead, save them. Slice them even thinner and curl them into tiny loops to insert into the very center of your completed roses. This trick helps fill out the middle, making your roses appear fuller and more robust as they tend to expand slightly during baking.

Step-by-Step Stone Fruit Rose Assembly:

1. Prepare the Fruit: Begin by carefully halving each stone fruit and removing the pit. If the fruit isn’t fully ripe, the pit might cling. In such cases, run the tip of a sharp paring knife around the pit, then use the tip of a spoon to gently pry it out from the small tip on the bottom of the fruit.
2. Slice Thinly: With your sharp knife, slice each fruit half (from the stem side) into very thin pieces, approximately 1/16-inch thick. Crucially, try to keep the slices together in their original fan shape as you cut.
3. Fan and Overlap: Gently fan out the sliced fruit using your fingers and thumb, arranging them so that each slice overlaps the next by about a quarter of its width. This creates the layered effect needed for the rose petals.
4. Determine Rose Size: For larger, more dramatic roses, use all slices from one fruit half. For smaller, more delicate roses, use half or even a quarter of the slices. Set aside the very end pieces (the small nubs) for later to fill in the centers.

5. Roll the Roses: Once your slices are fanned, begin at one end and create a tight loop with the first slice. Continue to slowly turn the fruit inwards with the hand holding the loop, while using your other hand to wrap the remaining “tail” of slices around the core. Maintain gentle but firm pressure with both hands throughout the rolling process.

6. Place in Frangipane: Carefully transfer each finished rose into the frangipane-filled tart crust. Gently nestle it in, ensuring it sits securely without disturbing the other elements. Repeat this process until your tart is adorned with a beautiful array of fruit roses.
7. Baking Instructions: Bake the tart in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 50-60 minutes. The frangipane should appear puffy, set, and lightly golden brown in the exposed areas. A light touch should reveal a slight springiness, indicating it’s perfectly baked.

The Final Touch: Adding a Luminous Glaze

Once your exquisite fruit tart emerges from the oven, a simple glaze is all it needs to achieve a professional, glistening finish and an extra touch of sweetness. The easiest and most effective way to do this is with apricot or peach jam. Gently heat two tablespoons of your chosen jam until it’s warmed and slightly runny, then use a pastry brush to delicately coat the entire surface of the fruit (avoiding the crust). This final step not only adds a beautiful sheen but also locks in moisture and enhances the overall flavor profile of your stunning dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions About Your Fruit Tart

Explore More Delicious Summer Fruit Desserts

If you’ve enjoyed this elegant stone fruit tart, you’ll love these other seasonal fruit-forward recipes:

• Peach Frangipane Galette: A rustic and equally delightful cousin to our tart.
• Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake: A classic reborn with fresh, vibrant flavors.
• Blackberry Chip Ice Cream (No-Churn): A refreshing and easy ice cream recipe for hot days.

📖 Recipe: Summer Fruit Tart (with Frangipane)

Summer Fruit Tart (with Frangipane)

Callan Wenner

This elegant French fruit tart features a sweet pastry crust, a lightly sweet almond frangipane filling, and thinly sliced stone fruit meticulously arranged into beautiful roses. A stunning dessert perfect for any summer gathering.

5 out of 5 stars from 6 votes

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Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time
1 hr

Rest time
3 hrs

Total Time
5 hrs 30 mins

Course
Dessert

Cuisine
American, French

Servings
8

Calories

438
kcal

Equipment

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
• 9-inch tart pan
• Rolling Pin
• Very sharp knife
• Pastry brush

U.S. Cups vs Metric
Use the metric toggle to convert the measurements

Ingredients

Sweet Tart Crust

• 6 T unsalted butter room temperature (85g)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67g
• ⅛ tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1¼ cup + 2T all-purpose flour 165g

Frangipane

• 6 T unsalted butter room temperature, 85g
• ¾ cup powdered sugar 90g
• ¾ cup almond flour 75g
• 2 T all-purpose flour 15g
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 1 large egg room temperature

Stone Fruit Roses

• 6-7 whole stone fruit nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots (a variety of colors)
• 2 tablespoons jam peach or apricot

Instructions

Sweet Tart Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and salt until smooth. Add in the egg and mix until incorporated, then scrape down the sides. Add the flour and mix on low until just incorporated.
2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten it into a 1-inch thick disc. Place in the fridge for about two hours to chill.
3. Remove the dough from the fridge and plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, then roll out the dough until it’s ⅛-¼” thick. This dough is very forgiving, so if it cracks, you can patch it later with scraps. Roll the dough so it’s about 2 inches wider than your tart pan.
4. Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan and press it gently into the bottom, corners, and sides. Roll the rolling pin over the top edge of the pan to neatly remove any excess dough. Use any leftover scraps to patch holes or reinforce weak spots in the crust.
5. Transfer the prepared tart shell to the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 325℉ (160°C). After chilling, remove the dough from the freezer and use a fork to “dock” (prick) the bottom of the tart shell multiple times. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill it completely with pie weights (or dried beans/rice).
6. Bake for 15 minutes to par-bake the crust. Once baked, remove it from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frangipane filling.

Frangipane

1. In a medium bowl, combine all frangipane ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Mix until the mixture is completely smooth and homogeneous. Pour or spread the frangipane evenly into the cooled, par-baked tart crust.

Stone Fruit Roses

1. Halve the stone fruit through the stem area and carefully remove the pits. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice each half (slicing on the side where the stem was) into approximately 1/16-inch thick pieces, making an effort to keep the slices together.
2. Gently fan out the sliced fruit, ensuring each piece overlaps the next by about one-quarter of its width. Starting from one side, form a tight loop with the first slice. Continue rolling the fruit inward with one hand while using the other hand to wrap the remaining “tail” of slices around to create the full rose shape.
3. Gather any small scraps of fruit. Slice these into very small, thin pieces and curl them into tiny loops. Use these small curled pieces to fill in the very center of your assembled roses, adding to their fullness and finished look.
4. Carefully arrange as many stone fruit roses as desired (or can fit) onto the frangipane filling. For smaller roses, use only half or even a quarter of the fanned-out slices from a fruit half.
5. Bake the assembled tart in a preheated 350℉ (175°C) oven for 50-60 minutes. The tart is ready when the frangipane is completely set, appears slightly puffy, and is lightly browned in the exposed areas. A gentle touch should yield a slight spring-back.
6. If using a glaze, gently heat 2 tablespoons of peach or apricot jam until warmed and slightly runny. Use a pastry brush to delicately spread the warm jam over the top of the baked fruit (avoiding the crust) to create a beautiful, glistening sheen.

Notes

For more detailed visuals and guidance on creating the elegant stone fruit roses, refer back to the specific section in the main article above.

If you prefer not to make the fruit roses, simply slice the stone fruit into ⅛” pieces and arrange them in an attractive spiral pattern over the frangipane before baking. This still yields a stunning and delicious tart.

Store the finished tart, covered loosely with foil or plastic wrap, at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Calories: 438kcal


Carbohydrates: 52g


Protein: 7g


Fat: 24g


Saturated Fat: 12g


Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g


Monounsaturated Fat: 5g


Trans Fat: 1g


Cholesterol: 86mg


Sodium: 129mg


Potassium: 262mg


Fiber: 3g


Sugar: 32g


Vitamin A: 951IU


Vitamin C: 8mg


Calcium: 45mg


Iron: 2mg

The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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