QUICK APRICOT TARTS

Makes 4 tarts

apricots, fresh 10, tinned or poached in syrup 20 caster sugar 3 tablespoons puff pastry 320 g apricot jam 4 heaped tablespoons

1 If you are using fresh apricots, halve and stone them, then put them in a small saucepan, add the sugar and enough water to just cover the fruit and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes till the fruit is soft and tender. The apricots must be so soft you could crush them between your fingers. Drain them.

2 If you are using tinned apricots, drain them in a sieve over a bowl. Set the oven at 220°C. Place a baking sheet in the oven to get hot. 3 Roll out the pastry to a rectangle 30 cm x 23 cm. (That is pretty much the size of a roll of ready-made puff pastry.) Using a 12 cm-diameter template (a saucer or small plate or large cookie cutter), cut four rounds of pastry. 4 Place each on a lightly floured baking sheet (lined with baking parchment if you wish). Score a wide rim around the outside of each one about 1 cm in from the edge – I use a 10 cm cutter for this – taking care not to cut right through the pastry.

5 Place the apricots on the pastry, four or five halves to each tart, steering clear of the rim. Slide the baking sheet on top of the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, till the pastry is puffed and golden. 6 Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan. Remove the tarts from the oven and brush the jam over the tarts, covering both fruit and pastry, then return to the oven for 3–4 minutes till the edges have browned and the glaze is just starting to caramelise. Let the tarts settle for 10 minutes before eating. (Only so you don’t scald your mouth!)