LINDSEY SHERE'S ALMOND TART
SOURCE: LINDSEY REMOLIF SHERE. CHEZ PANISSE DESSERTS.
Ever since Chez Panisse debuted to a receptive full house half a century ago up to her retirement in 1998, pastry chef Lindsey Shere supervised the dessert station in the kitchen. One of her unforgettable signature creations was an almond tart adapted and modified from a recipe by French countess and journalist Mapie de Toulouse-Lautrec. For decades, restaurant diners, alongside kitchen employees, could not resist the buttery shortcrust pastry shell filled with a creamy fusion of thinly sliced almonds and sticky caramel. It was only until superficial complaints about the difficulty of forking the tart wedges by a younger generation of patrons led to the once-identifiable house specialty retreating to sporadic appearances in the menu. Nevertheless, the simplicity of its preparation stands on par with its delicious taste that baking the tart at home can be a sweet addictive habit for any hospitable host.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry Dough
1 cup/ grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon/13 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram salt
1/4 teaspoon/0.5 grams grated lemon peel
1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 1/2-inch/1.27-cm cubes
2 tablespoons/30 mL water
1/2 teaspoon/3 mL pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup/180 mL heavy cream
3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon/5 mL Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon/1 mL almond extract OR 2 teaspoons/10 mL amaretto
1 cup/85 grams sliced blanched almonds
Specific Equipment
Mixing bowl
OPTIONAL: Pastry blender
Plastic wrap
Fluted tart pan with a removable bottom having a diameter of 9 inches/23 cm
Fork
Aluminum foil
Small saucepan
Spatula
Wire rack
Serves 6 to 8
Instructions
1. Place flour, sugar, salt, lemon peel, and butter in a mixing bowl. Press the butter to cornmeal-size pieces with the fingertips of your hand or a pastry blender to incorporate into the flour mixture until the mixture begins to hold together. Stir in the water and vanilla extract and continue working until the pastry is well-blended and holds together when pressed.
2. Roll the dough to a ball on a floured surface and cover with a plastic wrap. Rest the pastry dough for 30 minutes so the flour will absorb the moisture more completely.
3. Remove the plastic wrap and press the pastry dough into the tart pan, ensuring an even layer of thickness over the bottom and the sides. Prick the lined tart dough lightly with a fork and cover the dough tightly with an aluminum foil. Chill the tart dough in a freezer for 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
5. Bake the tart dough for 25 minutes or until the dough is light golden-brown and cooked all the way through.
6. Stir the cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, and almond extract or amaretto in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture thickly bubbles. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the almonds. Set aside for 15 minutes to let the almonds infuse into the mixture.
7. Remove the tart pan from the oven and patch any holes with a thin-layered paste of flour and water, if necessary.
8. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
9. Fill the pastry dough with the almond mixture, making sure that the almonds float evenly by spreading them around the dough with a spatula. The almonds must float atop so the finished tart will have a glossy surface.
10. Bake the tart for 30 to 35 minutes until the top has a nice shade of creamy and russet caramel. Remove the tart from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the tart from the ring and slice to equal-sized serving wedges.
