”I must not fear, fear is the mind-killer” 
I am officially outing myself as a Dune-head with this Shai-Hulud Spice Apple Tart! I’ve loved Frank Herbert’s sci-fi from childhood, and ever since the movie came out a few weeks ago Dune has been in my head nonstop! It was an amazing experience getting to see my visions of Caladan, Arrakis, and the Dune universe come to life with one of my favorite directors and cinematographers at the helm, not to mention that stunning Hans Zimmer score. So excited that Part 2 has been green-lit (maybe a Part 3…Dune Messiah anyone?) and I’ll just be eating this spiced apple tart and rereading the books until the next installations come out.
The recipe itself is a frangipane apple tart with cinnamon acting as “spice.” For those who haven’t watched the movie or read the books yet, spice is an incredibly important natural resource at the root of many of the story’s political conflicts, and Shai-Hulud is an extraterrestrial sandworm-like creature that lives on one of the planets. The tart itself is the perfect amount of sweetness and spice and an incredible dessert for the fall months! “He who controls the spice controls the universe.”
Spiced Apple Frangipane Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 11 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp (155g)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 1-2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup almond flour (70g)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Apple Spices
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all the crust ingredients and beat together starting on low. Scrape down the sides as necessary and gradually increase the speed until the dough comes together into a relatively cohesive ball; it should resemble Play-Doh. It will take a while, so don't be worried if it seems to spend a while looking like wet sand that will never come together.
- Grease a 9" tart pan with cooking spray, and add the dough ball to the center of the pan. Press the dough down into the pan, spreading out out to the edges and up the side. Make sure it's pretty thin (~1/8"), and expect there to be some extra, so just trim that off the edges with a sharp knife. Once the crust is prepped, place in the fridge while preparing the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Once again in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar for the filling and beat together until fully mixed and fluffy. Add the almond extract and mix until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg and whisk to combine. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mix and fold together until completely mixed.
- In a small bowl, combine the apple slices and the apple spices, and toss until all the apple slices are coated.
- Remove the tart crust from the fridge and pour the filling into it, spreading it to the edges and smoothing it with an offset spatula. Arrange the apple slices on top as seen in the photo, to resemble Shai-Hulud rolling through the sands of Arrakis. Or make any pattern you'd like!
- Place the filled tart in the oven and reduce the temp to 350°F. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is browned and set. Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tart pan and serving.
- Enjoy!
