from my orchid kitchen

It's necessary in loquat season to make the most of this fruit. This one is a sweet suggestion even for those who often turn up their noses at these orange wonders.

First of all, what is a frangipane?
Many out there will never have heard of this designation, or they may have heard it but are not sure what it is.
Frangipane is a creamy preparation that traditionally consists of an almond flour, butter, sugar, and egg mixture, with almond, butter, and sugar being used in equal amounts.

Sometimes variations are presented, such as other nuts in place of almonds, vegetable kinds of butter, and other varieties of sugar or sweeteners.


This name has been known since 1674 and derives from an Italian marquis, Muzio Frangipani, who lived in France in the 17th century and who created an almond-scented perfume very famous in the court of Louis XIII, later inspiring confectioners to add almonds and almond extract to pies and pastries fillings.

For those who follow the blog, it is not the first time that I present a dessert where I use this preparation, as you can see in this Puff pastry with almonds and figs.

The frangipane base can be used with many fruits, but my opinion is that it works especially well with fruits that are not very juicy and not very sweet, as is the case with loquats.

The ingredients

Shortcrust pastry - for this recipe I used a store-bought pastry, but you can use another pie base to taste.
Loquats - in my fruit bowl I had only 6 large units, but you can add more depending on the size of the fruit.
Sugar - white sugar was used here, but it can be substituted for brown or coconut, remembering that the color of the frangipane in these cases will be darker.
Almond flour - it is not necessary to be fine almond flour, you can use almonds ground in any food processor.
Butter - traditionally, the 3 main ingredients of frangipane are added with the same weight, but I thought that 100gr of butter would be too much for this pie, considering that almonds also have natural fat.
Egg - its presence serves to bind all the ingredients of the filling.
Honey or Jam - is optional, and serves to give the pie a brighter surface. The amount of honey (which can also be replaced by a little agave) or jam to use is between 1 to 2 tablespoons.

Loquat frangipane tart recipe

Ingredients

1 package of shortcrust pastry
6 to 8 large loquats
100 g of sugar
100 g of almond flour
3 tablespoons of butter
1 large egg
Honey or jam for brushing (optional)

1. In a bowl, beat the egg together with the sugar.
2. Add the softened butter and almond flour, mixing well.
3. Roll the dough over the tart pan, prickling the bottom with a fork or the tip of a knife.
4. Pour the cream over the dough, smoothing the surface.
5. Reserve in the fridge.
6. Meanwhile, peel the loquats and remove the pits.
7. Cut each loquat into slices.
8. Arrange the loquat slices, pressing each piece a little over the pie filling.
9. Bake at 150ºC for about 30 to 35 minutes.
10. While the pie is still hot, brush the surface with a little honey or peach/apricot compote to glaze it up.

Notes on how to make

• So that the loquats don't oxidize, there are 2 options to consider: peel the fruit and sprinkle it with a little lemon juice, or the technique I usually use, which is to put the loquats that I peel in a bowl of water and drain them when I am going to use them. 
• In the pie you see in the photos, only 6 very large loquats were used, which, after being peeled and pitted, were each divided into 8 thin slices. However, depending on the quantity and liking, they can be cut into larger portions and/or different shapes.
•  If halfway through cooking the oven starts to burn the surface of the pie, it is best to place an aluminum foil on top of it until the end of the set time.
• Remember to check if the crust is fully cooked, especially if you're using another type of crust.
• Before brushing with honey or jam, add a few drops of water to make it more liquid and easier to spread over the surface of the pie without damaging it.

 

This mousse is a creamy and fresh spring dessert, which highlights one of the fruits of the season and its balanced flavor between sweet and slightly acidic.

When we get to May, these orange coloured fruits start to be seen for sale, often full of spots, inducing those who do not know to think they are already touched or damaged. Actually, loquats are somewhat sensitive fruits that are easily marked on the skin by their tree, and these bruises often do not pass to the pulp.



I always got used to savoring loquats since I was little because for many years we had a tree of this fruit in our garden, but they were smaller in size than the ones found for sale.

Every year, when I buy loquats, this is one of the recipes I usually make, sweetening it sometimes with some sugar and sometimes using condensed milk.

The ingredients

This mousse is very simple to make and only needs 4 ingredients to prepare it:

• Loquats - For this recipe, I calculated about 2 to 3 ripe medium-sized fruits per person.
• Cream - as always, I prefer heavy cream without additives; between 15 to 30 minutes before starting the recipe, you should put the cream in the freezer to make it cooler and whip faster.
• Gelatine - helps to fix the whipped cream while maintaining its lightness, since the purée loquats are added (a moist and heavy element).
• Condensed milk - I prefer to use skimmed condensed milk or else condensed coconut milk, in a proportion of about 1 tablespoon per person.

How to make

Since loquats oxidize very quickly, I like to start this mousse by preparing the other elements first:

• After the cream has cooled, start whipping the cream and then add the condensed milk.
• Soak gelatin sheets in cold water, then drain.
• Place them in a bowl and melt in the microwave (defrost function) for a few seconds, enough to melt completely but without boiling.
• Mix a few spoonfuls of the cream preparation with the gelatin and mix everything well. Gelatin is never added directly to the whole of the cream and condensed milk preparation because we risk that the gelatin might solidify very quickly (due to the thermal shock) and we'll have some solid pieces of gelatin in the middle of the mousse.
• As the content of the gelatin bowl is added to the remaining cream, everything is well wrapped so all is uniform.
• Place in the refrigerator while the loquats are being prepared.
• Fill a bowl with water and some lemon juice, in which we will place the pieces of fruit as we peel and pit, to prevent them from oxidizing (which happens very quickly) and thus keep their natural color.
• With the help of a hand mixer, blender, or food processor puree the loquats.
• Finally, this puree is added to the remaining ingredients, mixing well until the mousse is homogeneous, and is distributed in bowls or cups that are placed in the refrigerator until serving time, simple or decorated to taste.

Loquat and condensed milk mousse

Ingredients

8 or 10 loquats
200 ml of heavy/whipping cream
4 sheets of gelatin
4 tablespoons of condensed milk
lemon juice 

1. Whip the cream along with the condensed milk.
2. Soak the gelatin sheets in a bit of water, and when they are moist, drain.
3. Place in a bowl, and take it about 10 to 15 seconds to the microwave (defrost mode) to melt (but don't let it boil).
4. Add a few tablespoons of the cream+condensed milk mixture to the gelatin and mix well.
5. Pour the contents of the gelatin bowl into the bowl of cream+condensed milk and wrap it well with a whisk or hand mixer.
6. Place it in the refrigerator while peeling and pitting the loquats into a bowl with water and some lemon juice.
7. In a food processor, blender or hand mixer, puree the loquat pulp.
8. Using a whisk or mixer, wrap the fruit pulp with the mixture of the cream+condensed milk+gelatin.
9. Divide it into bowls and return to the refrigerator until serving time.