Apricot tart
1 HOUR 40 MINUTES + CHILLING + FREEZING + COOLING SERVES 6 | EASY
Of all the summer tarts, this is my favourite. Apricots respond so brilliantly to heat, becoming both tarter and more honeyed as they cook.
PASTRY
plain flour 170g
golden caster
sugar 50g
ground almonds 35g
unsalted butter 170g, chilled and diced
egg yolk 1
amaretto 1/2 tsp
FRANGIPANE
unsalted butter 35g, softened
golden caster sugar 35g
egg 1 large, lightly beaten
amaretto 1/2 tsp
ground almonds 35g
plain flour 35g
FILLING
apricots 1kg ripe, halved and pitted caster
sugar 4 tbsp
flaked almonds 35g
icing sugar to dust
• To make the pastry, blitz the flour, sugar, ground almonds and a pinch of salt in a food processor for a few seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and amaretto. Blend again until the mixture forms a ball. Form this into a salami shape (though be careful not to overwork the pastry) about 5cm in diameter. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 2 hours.
• For the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Gradually add the egg, beating well after each addition. Add the amaretto and stir in the almonds and flour.
• Almond pastry is difficult to roll out, so don’t even try. Cut the chilled log into slices about the thickness of a £1 coin. Put these, overlapping, into a loose-bottomed 23cm tart tin, also lining the sides. Press the pastry into shape, making it as even as possible, with the sides a little thicker than the base. Cover with clingfilm and freeze for 20 minutes, to help stop the pastry from shrinking. Spread the frangipane over the base of the tart.
• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Toss the apricot halves with the sugar. Lay them, almost vertically and slightly overlapping, on top of the frangipane – they will shrink during cooking. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the tart from the oven and reduce the oven to 150C/fan 130/gas 2. Sprinkle with the almonds and dust with icing sugar, then return the tart to the oven for a further 45 minutes.
• Leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a plate. Dust with a little more icing sugar. This is best eaten on the day it’s made.
PER SERVING 688 KCALS | FAT 40.4G SATURATES 19.3G | CARBS 66.8G | SUGARS 40.2G FIBRE 5.1G | PROTEIN 11.4G | SALT 0.1G