Apricot Cream Cheese Tart Food

APRICOT TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and flour until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , For filling, in a small saucepan, bring apricots and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain. Add the pecans, sugar, marmalade, cinnamon and cloves; set aside., Shape dough into 24 balls. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. Spoon filling into cups. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For topping, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spoon a dollop onto each tart. Store in the refrigerator.

CREAM CHEESE AND APRICOT TART

Steps:

• For the pastry: Combine all ingredients and knead to a smooth pastry. Shape into a ball and wrap in foil, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface until slightly larger than a baking pan (26 cm in diameter) (approximately 10 inches) and line pan with it, making an edge all around. Bake in preheated oven at 200°C (gas mark 3, fan: 180°C) (approximately 400°F) for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in a pan for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the topping: Soak gelatine in cold water. Whisk egg yolks with powdered sugar and cream cheese. Dissolve dripping wet gelatine on medium heat in a small saucepan. Whip cream until stiff and add gelatine, whisking constantly. Fold into cream cheese mixture and add pistachios. Spread cream onto pastry and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.
• Drain apricots in a sieve, reserving the juice. Arrange apricots on the tart and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
• Prepare glaze powder (or cornstarch) with apricot juice and sugar according to package instructions, spread over apricots and let dry. Sprinkle tart with pistachios and serve.

CHERRY-APRICOT CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Add yolk and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Make filling:
• Beat cream cheese and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar, yolks, cornstarch and flour in small bowl until smooth. Bring milk to simmer in saucepan. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture; return to same pan. Whisk over low heat until custard thickens and boils. Cool custard 15 minutes. Beat barely warm custard into cream cheese mixture. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of filling; chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough gently into place; trim excess dough. Freeze 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake crust until golden, piercing with fork if bottom bubbles, about 5 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack.
• Spread cream cheese filling over crust. Arrange cherries, cut side down, in 2 concentric circles around edge of tart. Arrange apricots in middle of tart, overlapping slightly. Place any remaining cherries in center. Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until beginning to melt. Strain into small bowl. Brush enough preserves over fruit to glaze. Serve immediately or chill up to 6 hours.

APRICOT CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry: Make a mound of the flour on the work surface or in a bowl. Make a well in the middle. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, and butter to the flour. Place the egg yolk in the well and knead everything quickly into a smooth dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Grease the pan well. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until thin. Line the pan with the crust, making sure to form an edge. Prick the bottom with a fork and prebake for 15 minutes at 180°C (approximately 350°F).
• For the filling: Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the cream cheese. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Separate the eggs. Mix the yolks with the cornstarch and stir into the batter. Beat the whites until stiff and carefully fold into the batter. Spread over the dough and bake at 160°C (approximately 325°F) for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• For the topping: Drain the apricots and arrange with the cut side down on the cake. Serve garnished with powdered sugar.

APRICOT, ALMOND & CREAM CHEESE CROSTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Blend almond paste and 3T sugar in food processor until finely chopped.
• Add cream cheese, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Blend until smooth.
• Unroll pie crust on heavy rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread filling over crust, leaving 1 1/2 inch plain border.
• Arrange apricot quarters, rounded side down, in a spoke pattern in 2 concentric circles atop filling.
• Fold dough border up over the edge of filling.
• Brush exposed apricots with warm jam.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.
• Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and apricots are tender and slightly browned about 43 minutes.
• Sprinkle with crushed Amaretti cookies.
• Cool 30 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

CREAM CHEESE FRUIT TART

Steps:

• In small bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon peel and juice.
• Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Spread over baked pie crust.
• Chill at least 1 hour.
• Several hours before serving, arrange fruit on filling.
• I like to use the strawberries nearest the rim of the pie shell, then a ring of overlapping kiwi slices, then a ring of mandarin oranges followed with a "bull's-eye" of the crushed pineapple in the center.
• Brush the fruit with the melted apple jelly and serve.
• You may substitute whatever your favorite fruit or berries are for the topping.

APRICOT TARTS

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and flour until blended.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• In a small saucepan, bring apricots and water to a boil.
• Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes; drain.
• Add the pecans, sugar, marmalade, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
• Shape dough into 24 balls.
• Press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffins cups.
• Spoon apricot mixture into cups.
• Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until browned.
• Cool for 10 minutes; before removing from pans to cool completely.
• For topping, in another small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.
• Spoon a dollop onto each tart.
• Store in the refrigerator.

APRICOT CREAM TART

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Pulse almonds, flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until almonds are very finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add yolk and extracts and pulse just until mixture begins to clump.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice with a forward motion to distribute fat. Gather dough together into a ball with scraper and transfer to tart pan. Pat dough with floured fingers into tart pan in an even 1/4-inch-thick layer, including side (side should be flush with top of rim). Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Make filling while dough chills:
• Toss apricots with Amaretto and 1/4 cup sugar, then let macerate until juicy, at least 1 hour.
• Whisk together preserves, whole egg, yolk, cream, almond extract, a pinch of salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl until combined. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
• Bake tart shell:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom is pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes.
• Fill and bake tart:
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Lift apricots from liquid with a slotted spoon and arrange, skin sides down, in tart shell. Whisk remaining apricot liquid into egg mixture, then pour over apricots(fruit will poke through filling). Cover edge of tart shell with a pie shield or foil and bake tart until filling is set and slightly puffed, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack.

PINEAPPLE-APRICOT CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Prepare crust as package directs. Center crust in 9-inch removable bottom tart pan. Fold down edges; pricking with fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.
• In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add apricots. Simmer 10 minutes uncovered; drain and cool. Drain pineapple well, reserving 1/3 c of liquid. Blend cream cheese with sugar and ginger. Spread on crust.
• Arrange fruit on top. In a small saucepan, blend cornstarch with reserved pineapple juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Brush over fruit. Chill.

APRICOT CREAM CHEESE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Prepare 9x11 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Next mix rolled oats with margarine, flour, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar, using your hands. Mixture should be loose but not dry. You should be able to make a ball and have it stick without it falling apart. Press half of this mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set side the other half for topping.
• Now mix together apricots, water, white sugar, and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Place in saucepan on the stove on medum-high for 30 minutes until the apricots are soft and mushy.
• Next mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla in small mixing bowl. Mix it well. Pour it over the base.
• Pour the apricot mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Finally, crumble remaining oat mixture on top.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
• Store in airtight container in refrigerator.