Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

There is a food blogger that I admire very much. Tartelette, aka Helen, is a French expatriat living in Charleston, SC. She was a head pastry chef in a French restaurant and now makes her home here with her husband. She concentrates mostly on desserts. Her photography is professional, beautiful and dreamy. She recently posted a recipe for this apricot tart. I have had a rectangular tart pan in my baking drawer for a long time. I have been waiting for the right recipe to christen it. This was the one I was waiting for.

The recipe is deceptively simple. The crust that Helen used was a gluten free mixture, but she offers an easy flour based alternative. If you do not like to make your own crust, feel free to substitute a store bought crust. The filling is quickly whisked together. I added a small amount of almond and vanilla extracts. The apricots are merely sliced in half, pitted, and nestled into the almond filling. It is not an overly sweet dessert and is best served warm. The following recipe is my adaptation. You can go to Tartelette’s blog for her version. It is a truly satisfying dessert, made even more special by the memories it stirred of her Grandparents.

APRICOT AND ALMOND TART

For the Crust:
5 tablespoons softened butter
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup cold water

In a mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time until they are incorporated. Add the flour and salt and beat briefly to incorporate. Add enough water to make a pliable dough and mix gently in. Dump dough unto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently into a compact disc. Refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll it into a shape to fit your pan. Line the dough with parchment paper or foil and add rice or dried beans to weigh it down. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool slightly if using immediately or you can store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill it.

For the filling:
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup honey (or 1/6 cup honey and 1/6 cup sugar)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ground almonds
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream

8 to 10 apricots, halved and pitted

Add softened butter and honey to a large bowl. Whisk until honey is incorporated. Add the extracts, ground almonds and eggs and beat until batter is combined. Add the heavy cream and gently stir it into the batter. Pour the batter into the cooled tart pan. Nestle the halved apricots into the batter. Place the tart pan into a 350 degree F. oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the tart with powdered sugar and/or honey. Serve warm.

Printable recipe