Easter Brunch 2016 : Vegan Fruit Tart Recipe

I'm delighted to see so many people still using this blog as a resource for recipes after all these years! I've become quite consumed by my printing business, Etc. Letterpress, so apologize for the absence of posts here on the veganette! Do trust that there have been a multitude of delicious plates passing through our hands, many littered with fresh dill and cracked pepper and the ruby flush of beet.

KM and I hosted a big Easter brunch this year in my tiny Brooklyn apartment- fifteen of our closest and oldest pals gathered around a makeshift table in the living room- perched on amps and benches and couch arms and each others' laps. There are few things that bring as much joy as this kind of hosting with its simple, messy, loving quality. We started at 3pm and let the slow afternoon light move across the room until the night came and each guest rolled out into the velvety dark city full of rosé cava. KM and I prepared a very vegetable-forward menu of roasted carrots, wine-braised fennel, bay sunchokes, beet risotto, cashew cream, green salad, roasted potatoes, sourdough, and two fruit tarts.

 

This recipe seemed worth sharing again as it's become a staple on my hosting menus in the spring and summer! The salty oil pie crust is a thick shortbread base upon which delicate almond (frangipane) custard lays and supports a tower of fresh fruit. The recipe is much easier than it sounds and will bring a round of smiles to your table!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare the oil pie crust by combining all ingredients. Press into an ungreased tart pan and place in oven until parbaked (10 minutes).

Oil Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable/ canola oil whisked with 2 Tbs. nut or soy milk

Prepare the frangipane filling. This recipe is a modification of Isa Chandra's original recipe posted on her blog, Post Punk Kitchen.

Frangipane Filling

1 1/4 cups blanched slivered almonds (pulsed in food processor to make a fine meal)
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. corn starch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbs. vegan margarine
2/3 cup almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh fruit (I used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and kiwi)
1/3 cup apricot preserves, melted

In a large food processor, pulse the almond meal, margarine, sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon. Add the almond milk and vanilla in small batches until the mixture resembles a thick batter. Pour this filling into the parbaked tart shell and return it to the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Once the tart has cooled, pile on the fresh fruit and brush with a coating of melted apricot preserves!

Yours under a cloudy sky,
NRG