Apricot & Tahini Pistachio Frangipane Tart

Apricot & tahini pistachio frangipane tart – a crisp press-in pastry and a nutty, complex tahini frangipane studded with summer stonefruit. Jump to Recipe

We went to listen to Nigella speak for an hour last week – she happened to be in Auckland, and is one of those fascinating people for whom thousands will come just to hear them converse on stage. Like a concert but without the performing, in some ways. One thing she said particularly resonated. When asked what advice she would handout, in retrospect, to a 20 year old version of herself, she stated the (maybe cliched) “take risks”. Because, she went on to describe, everything in life is on a spectrum between complete and utter boredom at one end, and being absolutely terrified at the other. Both extremes would result in waking up each day in dread of the hours to come – monotony vs fear – so it is a fine balance to tread a path somewhere in the middle of the two. To keep it exciting. The issue is that no one can predict where that point in the middle lies, so it is a case of continuing to take risks, and try new things, and follow opportunities, until you find it. Not settling, however challenging that may be.

Maybe it resonated because I’m 21, though her advice applies to any age. I think it’s more likely because I’ve been sitting happily in my comfort zone with this blog over the past year or two – sticking with the basics of what I know how to do in terms of photography, design and social media. Though medical school is certainly a strictly-prescribed trajectory, the constant assessment, learning and exams keep the pressure on, and new patient interactions and challenges push me outside that comfortable space regularly.

The upshot is that I’m planning on changing a few things around here in order to step outside that. Getting more adventurous with photography is a big one – I’ve been wanting to try stop-motion video for over a year now, and have finally given it a crack! I was very inspired by my friend Betty Liu, a food blogger (and wedding photographer and medical student, I should add) from Boston who makes gorgeous food videos regularly. Her guides on Patreon have been massively helpful. I’m also working with a creative friend on developing a logo for The Brick Kitchen, and would like to work on improving my subscriber email. I’ve written these goals here partially in an effort to keep myself accountable, but also because I’d love for you to let me know if there is anything in particularly you’d like to see included or changed, or even just feedback on things you might want to see more or less of! Please do comment on the post below or send me an email or an instagram message – I’d love to hear from you.

Anyway: this apricot & tahini pistachio frangipane tart. It’s a tart to showcase summer stonefruit – here I’ve used cherries and apricots, but you could use any combination of stonefruit and berries. Rather than my usual almond frangipane, I’ve substituted in some tahini and ground pistachios for a more nutty and complex flavour, though you could change up the pistachios for any other nut you have on hand. The pastry is a press in pastry from The Fearless Baker – more like a shortbread cookie dough than a pie crust, and is satisfyingly crisp when combined with the soft frangipane and tender fruit. Because the frangipane takes a while to cook, the crust doesn’t have to be blind baked – just pop it in the freezer to harden while you make the filling.  You could also easily change up the tins – use mini round tart tins, or a round pie tin – just make sure the total area is roughly the same.

Enjoy!
Claudia