Flakey puff pastry filled with fresh plums, frangipane, and glazed with thyme-infused honey.
These delicious little pastries are not overly sweet with buttery puff pastry and delicate flavors of plum, frangipane, and thyme honey.
Frangipane is one of those things you either love or you don’t know about. Thankfully I know about it because it is delicious! It is a custard of whipped butter, ground almonds or paste, eggs, and sugar. It is most often used for tart filling but can also be used in cakes or croissants.
This recipe for frangipane uses almond paste instead of ground almonds. Almond paste is made from blanched almonds, sugar, oil, and/or corn syrup. Recipes and quality differ from maker to maker so, not all almond paste is the same. Choose a paste that is firm but pliable, like stiff playdough. It will have a slightly granular texture from the almonds and should not look or feel oily. I used Odense brand that comes in a seven-ounce tube. You can also make your own, but that is a recipe for a different day.
When making these tarts, I score the pastry giving it a one-inch border. The scoring allows the pastry around the edge to puff freely without being weighed down by the filling. It also keeps the filling from spreading out and spilling over. Cut only the surface of the pastry, taking care not to cut all the way through.
Plum Frangipane Tarts
Ingredients
Frangipane
- 3 1/2 ounces almond paste
- 2 tbsp butter softened
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/8 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
Thyme Honey
- 1/4 cup honey
- 5-6 sprigs thyme
Tarts
- 1 1/2 sheets puff pastry
- 3 plums
Instructions
Frangipane
- Cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and almond paste. Mix in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add the flour. Refrigerate until ready for use.
Thyme Honey
- Gently heat the honey in a saucepan just until warm. When warm add the thyme sprigs and remove from the heat. Allow the thyme to steep until the honey cools. Set aside until ready for use.
Tarts
- Thaw puff pastry sheets. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut four equal squares out of one sheet and two squares out of half the second sheet. Lightly score a one-inch border around the inside of each square. Take care not to cut completely through the pastry. Place the squares on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Divide the frangipane between the 6 squares and spread it to the inside edge of the score marks.
- Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Slice each half into thin slices. Layer the plum slices over the frangipane. Use 1 half plum for each tart. Brush the plums and outer edge of the puff pastry with thyme honey. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the plums and pastry with thyme honey a second time. Cool and serve.
