Recipes

The Frangipane filling has a very deep and rich history, and is used in all over the world in a variety of sweets and pastries. (Learn more about Frangipane.) I’ve made this particular tart using pears, figs and cherries as well as the apples used in this recipe. So feel free to substitute any seasonal fruit. In the coming months there will be more recipes using the tasty, easy to make filling.

There are historical rumors that Caterina de’ Medici introduced Crespelle to the French, and that’s how they came up with Crepes. Whether or not this is true, this Northern Italian favorite has been around a very long time. It is used for both savory and sweet dishes, and probably the most widely known is for Cannelloni. Layered tortes, such as this recipe, are often sold by the slice in Northern Italian Trattorias.

Pâte Sablée is one of a line of classic pastry crusts. You can use all flour, or as in this version, substitute ground nuts for part of the flour. The crust has a butter cookie like crunch, rather than the flakiness of its sister pasty crust Pâte Brisée.

This recipe isn’t historical, but does go back to my father’s journal of the 1930’s. In the journal it’s called a “Hokey Pokey”. I always thought that having all your favorite cookie ingredients rolled into one cookie was a good thing. So when I was manufacturing cookie mixes, I made this, with some minor adjustments and named it a “Jumble”.

This is equally good at breakfast, for lunch, afternoon with tea, or after dinner. Rich almond flavors, moist with just a hint of a crunch from the polenta, and not too sweet. Great served with lightly sweetened whipped cream that has been infused with fresh basil.