Frangiprune

Sophisticated yet easy, like me

This dessert is the kind of discovery that only occurs when you make a point of using leftovers as springboards for new ideas. In this case, I had a ball of the mighty cheese crust left in the fridge but had used all the pears and wasn’t feeling apples as an alternative. I considered some options and settled on this, which I winged and nailed. It’s not a complicated concept, to be sure, but damn if it wasn’t superb with the slightly savory crust. And not to brag overmuch, but would you look at the flake on that crust? That’s not laminated, people. I’m not lying when I say that my grandmother’s recipe is the only one you’ll ever need for tarts, pies, and more.

Blind baking the crust is a key to this, as is using a shallow fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. The filling comes together in just a few minutes, especially if you do one easy step a few hours before (or the day before). And it’s highly adaptable based on what you might have on hand, and those substitutions open up whole worlds of possibilities when it comes to flavor pairings and more complex variations should you feel inspired. I’ll walk you through the process and suggest some of those other directions.