Frangipan pie (cream, almond flour, and candied lemon peel)

I had no idea what this would turn out to be like when I first made it. I mean, ground almonds and orange flower water? But it was a hit – my neighbour said it was the best pie she’d ever had, bar none.

The texture lands somewhere between “custard pie” and “butter tart”. It’s not too sweet, either. Just the right balance, in so many ways!

Orange flower water, or orange blossom water, shows up in a number of 18th century French recipes, but it was definitely not something I had on hand in my kitchen. Luckily, it’s also used in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African cooking, so specialty stores in North America (like Gourmet Warehouse, where I got mine) do carry it.

Ground or powdered almonds (sometimes called almond flour) are not in every North American kitchen either – you can get them at some grocery stores (I got mine at Famous Foods) or you can make your own with some whole raw almonds and a good food processor or blender. (If you are getting some for this recipe, definitely some extra to make this chocolate-y Swedish kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake) recipe!)

Candied lemon peel was impossible to find in a store. So I made my own, and it was surprisingly easy! (Candied lemon peel recipe here).

Modified from the recipe in From the Hearth, this makes one 9″ pie.

Ingredients

Pastry:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup lard
1/3 cup plus 1-2 tbsp very cold water

Filling:
5 oz powdered almonds (about 1.5 cups)
2 oz candied lemon peel (about 1/2 cup)
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup white sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 tbsp orange flower water

Gilding:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp milk

Topping:
2 tbsp white sugar

Instructions

Pastry:
Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the lard until it is pea-sized pieces or smaller. Add the cold water and mix gently with a spatula until it comes together as a dough. You may need to knead it a few times. If it needs more water, add a little at a time. Make into a ball and place in the fridge while you get the filling ready.

Filling:
In a saucepan, whisk together all the filling ingredients, taking care to break up any lumps of almond flour. 

Heat saucepan on medium while continuing to whisk until thickened. Let cool. 

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 425F. 

Roll out two pieces of pastry. Line a 9" pie pan with one piece. 

Pour in cooled filling. 

Place remaining pastry on top in decorative strips (about 3/8" wide) or lattice. Brush with gilding mixture. Bake at 425F for 30-35 minutes. 

Sprinkle with sugar and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Once I got all the ingredients, the recipe is pretty straightforward. The original recipe has you mixing the egg yolks and almond flour first, but that ended up lumpier than if I added the liquid earlier in the filling proceedings. You might play around with the order of ingredient addition for the filling.

I didn’t end up doing the gilding step (or a proper lattice top), but did all the rest. The filling gets bubbly and the sugar sprinkle gets brown and the whole thing ends up looking and tasting great.

The Verdict

Yes, yes, yes. This one is a winner. I’ve already made this a second time, and a wide range of folks have liked it. I actually think it’s better on the second day, when those citrus and almond flavours have had time to merge.

(Note that you will have leftover egg whites after you make this – try making Lemon Meringues too!)

Are you ready to try something different in the pie department? Then try this one, and tell us about it in the comments!