This past week was a series if highs and lows and highs again. We all attended the funeral of my husband’s father and Matthew’s grandfather. It was a time to celebrate a long life, well-lived and of the sadness to know that he was no longer there.

We are now at the beginning of the High Holidays, a time of great excitement and hope for the new year to come – a time when we each hope that we are sealed in the Book of Life.

While our Matthew and Frances do not live near us, we are nevertheless fortunate to have some very close family nearby. Last night we hosted Erev Rosh HaShana with my 92-year old mother, my sister, brother and his wife, cousin and my niece, nephew and our two wonderful godchildren. Our diningroom was burstsing at the seams, but we would have gladly made room for Matthew and Frances had they been able to join us. Instead, we texted photos of our goodies back and forth. This post will only include recipes for my apple frangipane (almond cream) tart, but over the week, I will include other recipes from our joyous holiday dinner. For menu ideas and for a preview of posts to come, I’ve included the full menu here.

My holiday menu:

Greek red lentil soup

Antipasto al sole

Eggless challah crowns with raisins

Roasted eggplant dip

Homemade pickled cauliflower and red cabbage

Kale sunshine salad

Brisket in BBQ sauce with Oatmeal Stout

Sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash and fruit tzimmes

Apple frangipane tart

Homemade walnut Baklava

Apple Frangipane Tart

Yields: 10-12 servings (This is a very rich dessert so only small amounts are VERY satisfying)

Ingredients:

For crust:

1.25 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted Earth Balance buttery vegan margarine, very cold

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons blanched almonds – whole or slivered

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (if you have it, use lemon thyme) or French lavender (optional)

2 Tablespoons Soy milk (vanilla or plain)

5 Tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

1 recipe of eggless frangipane (there will be some left-over which can be used up in small tarts or if you are into making almond croissants or as a filling between two simple shortbread-type cookies or even stuffed into dates after the pit has been removed)

2 flavorful baking apples like Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, rubbed with lemon to keep from browning and thinly sliced

1/2 lemon for keeping the apples from browning

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Earth Balance buttery margarine for dotting the apples

Apple jelly for glazing, melted in a microwave or gently on the stove

Frangipane:

1 stick of Earth Balance buttery vegan margarine, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2.5 cups of finely ground blanched almond meal (I like Bob’s brand)

6 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 Tablespoons vanilla soy milk

Directions:

1. Prepare the crust using a food processor. Pulse the flour, sugar and Earth Balance, salt, herbs if used and almonds (you can make this with butter if you prefer) until the buttery pieces coated with flour are about the size of frozen peas. Whisk the soy milk into the water and add to the flour mixture while the processor is running. Mix just until the dough starts to form a ball on the end of the blade. Do not overmix. Form into a ball and then flatten into a disk and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
2. When ready to bake the tart, make the frangipane. In a food processor or powerful blender, add all of the ingredients for the frangipane and pulse until smooth and everything is incorporated. Do not refrigerate.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. I used a rectangular fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom, but you could use a 9 or 10-inch round tart pan. If you have the room and like making tarts, it is worth making the small investment in a rectangular pan.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to be about 1 inch larger than the pan you are using.
5. Generously and carefully spread about 3/4 of the frangipane across the bottom of the pastry. In an attractive pattern, lay the apples, slightly overlapping, on top of the frangipane, covering the entire tart. Apples will shrink in baking so be sure to cover the entire filling.
6. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and cinnamon.
7. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet in case any of the buttery goodness oozes out.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F and then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 45 minutes or until golden.
9. Remove the pan to a cooling rack and brush carefull with melted apple jelly. It is worth finding apple jelly, but you can also make your own glaze using the apple peels and cores, cooked in water with about 2 Tablespoons of sugar until it is thickened and fragrant. Strain the liquid and you have a glaze to use.
10. Allow the tart to cool in the pan entirely. When ready to serve, carefully remove the tart from the pan and place on a covered cutting board or plate.

AMAZING! Preferably do not refrigerate left-overs. Lighlty cover the cut end with foil or plastic wrap.