New Year, new bakes! Speaking of new, this bake marks the first time I’ve made or incorporated frangipane into a dessert. And it couldn’t be easier! I dreamt up this cardamom pear frangipane galette during one of my many brainstorming sessions and couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve eaten frangipane but it never occurred to me before to make it myself. It always seemed like one of those fancy things you only find in a French patisserie.
So happy I gave it a shot because it was super simple to make and I already had everything I needed on hand. Now I get to share the beauty of this fancy named almond cream with you all.
Before the frangipane even entered the picture I knew that I wanted to pair the warming spice of cardamom with the sweetness of pears. At first a cake or galette seemed the way to go, but something was missing. Adding the almond cream as a base on the galette was the perfect accent to achieve something special without a lot of fuss.
Cardamom is my own special twist on this dessert. It is not an ingredient normally included in a frangipane but it provides that perfect unexpected flavor. Cardamom reminds me of other warming spices like cinnamon and ginger but certainly has it’s own unique flavor that’s hard to describe. You just have to try it! Trust me.
If you remember last year I also used it to create these Swedish Cardamom Buns which are my absolute fav! (But I’m a bit biased since I have Scandinavian roots.)
I hope you give this galette a try. It truly is easier to make than you think!
PrintCardamom Pear Frangipane Galette
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 galette 1x
Description
Tender and flaky crust layered with cardamom almond cream and fresh pears. Simple to make, fancy enough to impress!
Ingredients
- 3–4 firm but ripe pears, Bosc or similar type
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
Dough
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3–4 tbsp ice cold water
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1–2 tbsp Turbinado or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Frangipane
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- To make the crust, place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add in the diced cold butter and pulse a few times, until the butter is broken down and about the size of large peas. Next, add in the water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough begins to come together. (If need be, add a small amount of additional water if the dough appears dry still).
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently knead together to form a flat disk shape. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a least one hour.
- For the frangipane, combine almonds, sugar, cardamom and salt in a clean food processor and pulse gently to combine. Add in the egg, almond extract and melted butter and pulse again until the mixture comes together to form a creamy paste texture. You should have about 1 cup of frangipane.
- Prepare the pears by slicing in half vertically and removing the cores with a melon baller or rounded teaspoon. For each pear half, thinly slice vertically. If desired, leave the slices attached to the stem by cutting about a 1/2 inch below the base of the stem to keep each half connected.
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Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Roll out dough into a rough 12 inch circle, about 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. (You can roll dough out on the parchment paper or silicone mat for easy transportation to the baking sheet).
- Spread the frangipane evenly over the center of the dough, leaving about a 2 inch border. Decoratively fan the pears over the top of the frangipane. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, folding to make it fit. No need to be super neat here, we’re going for a rustic look.
- Brush the beaten egg over the dough and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until pears are tender and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- While galette is cooling, heat the honey and apricot jam together in the microwave until the mixture is liquified and smooth, about 10-15 seconds. Gently brush a thin layer of the honey and jam mixture over the warm pears. Serve galette warm or at room temperature.
Roseann
I’m gonna have to try and make that Frangipane