I tried adapting the Apricot Tart recipe from Corby Kummer's book The Pleasures of Slow Food, enticed by this phrase: "This tart drove Tasha Prysi, who tested the recipes for this book, wild with desire when she worked at Chez Panisse."

TART DOUGH
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup ice water

Standard pate brisee practice. Refrigerate, roll out into 14" round on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

FRANGIPANE
1/3 cup (3 oz.) almond paste (this costs over $6 for 7 ounces!)
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp.
2 tbsp flour
1 egg
pinch of salt

"Cream" the almond paste and sugar, then beat in the butter, then the flour, egg, and salt. This makes 1/2 cup frangipane--twice as much as the recipe calls for. I made two tarts.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear the frangipane onto the dough, leaving a 1 1/2" border around the edges, sprinkle the flour plus 1 tbsp sugar (and optionally 2 tbsp ground almonds) onto the frangipane, and then arrange the fruit (Kummer's recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs apricots, but since they weren't in season, I used 2 pints strawberries, hulled and quartered, pointy edges towards the center of the tart) on the frangipane. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Roll up the edges of the tart into a ropy border that will contain the juices from the fruit as it cooks. Brush the rim of the tart with melted butter, then sprinkle that with sugar as well.

Put into oven, rotating every 20 minutes, for about 45-55 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes, then eat.

I was disappointed with this, although it smelled heavenly. The juices ran out and caramelized my tart to the parchment. I used the excess frangipane and strawberries in a prebaked pie crust I'd laid away in the freezer and was happier with the results, as there was no sticky paper and the crust ended up crisper. However, I think apricots might be a more natural pairing with frangipane than the strawberries, which seemed to bludgeon the delicate almond flavor into submission. Maybe juicing it up with almond extract would work.

My appetite might also have been somewhat affected by watching the pie-eating scene (aka BARF-O-RAMA) in Stand By Me as the tart baked.