Amazing Apple Tart with Tahini

I have many apple tarts on this website from years gone by, and you know my love for "frangipane".   A simple French almondy sugary custardy puff that bakes around the fruit.

Here, Susan Spungen mixes it up using tahini instead of ground almonds in her frangipane.   I kind of loved it a lot.

My addition, was sprinkling sesame seeds around the egg washed border of the puffed pastry, like I did with my Peach Tahini Tart.

Susan's recipe says bake the tart at 400F for 55 minutes. 

  Trust me, it will be burnt to a crisp....not sure if that's an error in the recipe.   I always bake my puff pastry at 400F for 25-30 minutes, that's plenty of time.  The middle is cooked and the pastry is very dark.

I used local Gala apples, and left the peels on....so much easier and prettier.

You can use any firm apple you like (don't use Mackintosh or Honey Crisp).

 This is so wonderful.  This was a 10/10.

Here's how I made it:

1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm)

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp heavy cream (this is the egg wash)

sesame seeds (optional)

1/2 cup of well stirred tahini 

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

3 small sized apples, cored (I do not peel my apples)

granulated sugar for the sprinkling

marmalade (apricot jam or honey) for the glaze

Preheat oven to 400F.

It's best to keep your puff pastry cold and have everything ready to go.

I make the frangipane first, then slice the apples.

Cut the apples in half, so you have 6 halves, and slice thin, trying to keep the apples together.   Set aside.

Mix the tahini, egg, flour, vanilla and sugar together so it resembles a paste.  Set aside.

Next, roll out your puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper, so you can transfer it to a baking sheet.

Score a 1" border, like a picture frame, and brush with the egg wash, trying to only brush the frame.  

Next, spread the frangipane in the interior of the picture frame (see my recipe for Tahini Peach Tart if you need  more visuals).

Carefully transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet, you can continue working on the sheet.

Lay the apples on top of the frangipane in a nice pattern, trying to fan them out if you can.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds around the egg washed border only.

Sprinkle the top all over with sugar (turbinado or white sugar) and shave some butter pieces on top of each apple fan.  Bake at 400F for 25 minutes.

The tahini frangipane will puff up all around the apples and be nice and golden.

While the tart is warm, brush with apricot jam (I used orange cinnamon marmalade from Sicily for the glaze and it was ridiculous!).

We loved this warm, but we also loved it the next day, left on the counter room temperature.  It still was crispy and amazing.