Challenging yourself is fun…from time to time. For me, a challenge is doing something that practices technique, and hinges on perfect execution so that you cannot hide behind the bells and whistles that you should all know that I am capable and comfortable with doing. Granted, a tart is not hard. They just take a while to bake because of all of the damn butter you’re using. I love baking classical French desserts from time to time, and French desserts with an Asian or Gabrielle-Hamilton-driven sensibility all the time, so I wanted to try incorporating that “waste not, want not” mentality into my raspberry and frangipane tart.

What makes this tart special, said the gentlemanly misogynist, is that the frangipane is made using the leftover tart dough. I don’t know about everyone else, but whenever I’m making pies or tarts, I always have that last remaining nub, or something a large last remaining chunk, or pie dough. Typically, most people would make more pies, but then you’d get sick of fucking pie, and when you’re sick of something as amazing as pie, then you know your life is screwed. So rather than subjecting myself to repeated sessions of eating the same pie crust with different fillings, I wanted to recycle my leftover pie dough into frangipane. Frangipane is like an almond cream made with butter, eggs, and obviously, almonds. Butter exists in the tart dough already, and I figured by blending it into almonds, eggs, and simple syrup, it would work? And it did, so suck it, doubters.

This pie dough is a combination of classic French technique with a good dosage of millenial-hippie resourcefulness, a ton of raspberries, and drizzled in booze flavored simple syrup. In other words, what’s not to love?

Tart dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cold water

Mix together baking powder, flour, salt, and sugar. Mash in the cubed unsalted butter and blend until the mixture until the butter is reduced to small, half-pinkie nail-sized pieces. Form a well, and add in the water and vanilla. Stir into a dough. Chill for 10 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/16th inch thickness and press into a lined tart tin. Reserve the leftover dough for the frangipane. Cover in parchment paper, weigh down, and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

For raspberry frangipane:
Leftover dough
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup fresh raspberries

Blend together the dough, eggs, almond meal, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a food processor until it forms into a smooth paste. Cut the raspberries in half and fold into the mixture. Pour into the baked tart shell and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

For simple syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon grand marnier or elderflower liquor
a pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a pot. Bring to a simmer. Cool down entirely before using.

For garnish:
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

For assembly:
Coat the raspberries in the simple syrup and garnish the cooled down tart with them.