Brandied Apricot Tart Food

BRANDIED APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk. Gradually add milk, tossing with a fork until a ball forms., Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 350°., In a small saucepan, combine preserves and brandy; cook and stir over low heat until melted. Brush 2 tablespoons over crust. Arrange apricots over crust and brush with preserve mixture. , Bake 18-22 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat, and set aside on a floured surface. Roll dough out to a 14-inch circle, and place on paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss apricots together with sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and zest. Place apricot mixture on the center of the dough. Spread out, leaving a 2-inch border of dough; turn ends of apricots upward. Fold the dough up and over the apricots, making a crease or fold every 4 to 5 inches to enclose fruit and prevent juices from seeping out.
• Brush dough thoroughly with heavy cream; sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, and lower oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotating baking sheet 45 degrees. Continue to bake until tart is evenly browned and apricots are bubbling, about 25 minutes more.
• Transfer tart from baking sheet to a cooling rack, and cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BRANDIED APRICOT DESSERT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F Toss apricots in a bowl with the brown sugar, flour, brandy and vanilla extract.
• Pour fruit into an 8-cup baking dish.
• Roast in oven for 30 minutes until tender.
• Share warm fruit between 6 serving bowls.
• Top each bowl of fruit with a single scoop of vanilla icecream.
• Drizzle icecream with juices left behind in baking dish.
• Poke a shortbread cookie into the icecream.
• Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE APRICOT TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Combine the flour, almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Pour in the vodka and 1 tablespoon water and pulse until the dough just comes together in a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it into a disc and refrigerate until slightly firm, about 20 minutes.
• Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Top with a piece of plastic wrap and press the dough out evenly through the plastic wrap on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce the dough lightly with a fork, and then line the crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Bake until the crust sets, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans and then return to the oven until the crust turns a rich golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool.
• For the apricot and chocolate filling: Combine the apricots, brandy and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes, and then set aside to plump.
• 5. Put the chocolates in a medium bowl. Heat the half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a separate medium bowl, and then gradually whisk in the heated cream. Pour back into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, over medium-low heat until thick, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the chocolate, let set for 5 minutes, and then whisk in the butter until very smooth.
• Blend the apricots and their liquid with the vanilla in a mini food processor until very smooth. Spread 3/4 cup of the mixture over the bottom of the crust. Top with the chocolate mixture. Cover loosely and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours or up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream until it barely holds soft peaks. Whisk in the remaining apricot mixture to make a smooth thick cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To serve, pipe or spoon small dollops of the cream around the edge of the crust.

GOAT CHEESE TART WITH HONEYED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add one-third of the butter and pulse until incorporated. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with bits of butter throughout, about 3 pulses. Add the vinegar and 3 tablespoons ice water; pulse 3 or 4 more times to combine. Squeeze the dough between your fingers; if it doesn't hold its shape, add 1 more tablespoon ice water and pulse again. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle on a floured surface. Ease the dough into the pan and press into the bottom and sides; trim the excess. Pierce the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans; continue baking until golden, about 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Beat the goat cheese and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the 4 egg yolks and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the cornstarch, vanilla and cognac and beat until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. In a separate large bowl, beat the 3 egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and beat until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture until combined, then pour into the prepared crust. Bake until the filling is set and golden on top, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the topping: Bring the granulated sugar, honey, cinnamon, cognac, vanilla and 1/3 cup water to a simmer in a small skillet over medium heat; cook until syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the apricots and cook 3 more minutes, then add the lemon juice. Let cool completely. Use a small knife to loosen the tart, then remove the springform ring. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve at room temperature with the apricot topping. Photograph by Johnny Miller

APRICOT CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• For crust
• Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in vanilla and and enough water to form moist clumps. Knead dough briefly on work surface to combine; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer dough to 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Gently press dough into pan; trim excess dough. Freeze crust 30 minutes.
• Place tart pan on baking sheet. Bake crust until light golden, piercing with toothpick if crust bubbles, about 25 minutes (crust may shrink slightly). Cool crust on sheet. Maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:
• Combine cream, 1/4 cup sugar, flour, brandy, yolks and vanilla in processor; blend until smooth. Arrange apricot quarters cut side down in prepared crust. Pour custard over. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake tart on baking sheet until apricots are tender and filling is puffed and set, about 30 minutes. Cool tart on rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• Push pan bottom up to free tart from pan. Cut tart into wedges and serve.

INDIVIDUAL APRICOT TARTS

Steps:

• In bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a bit together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide pate brisee dough in half. Flatten halves, and wrap in plastic; chill at least 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the pate brisee to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle, about 6 by 11 inches. Using a 5-inch round cutter or a bowl, cut out 2 circles; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Using a fork, poke several holes around crusts. Chill dough on sheet for 15 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Arrange apricots in a fan shape on tarts. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar on each tart; bake until tarts are golden and apricots start to brown, 25 to 35 minutes. As tarts bake, warm jam in a saucepan. Remove tarts from oven; cool. Strain glaze into a bowl; discard solids. Brush glaze on tarts.

APRICOT BRANDY

Steps:

• Place ingredients (DO NOT MIX) in a 1/2 gallon flat topped glass jar.
• Turn jar twice a day for 8 days (allowing jar to sit on its top for half a day).
• Batch is ready.
• You may use the same apricots, more sugar, and vodka added to make another batch, but let second batch sit for 12 to 14 days.

DRIED-FRUIT TART WITH BRANDIED CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough 1/8 inch thick (about an 11-inch round). Fit dough into an 8-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim and trim edge. With a fork prick bottom of shell all over. Chill shell 30 minutes, or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights or rice and foil and bake shell until golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack.
• Make dried-fruit mixture:
• In a heavy saucepan simmer water with sugar and vanilla bean, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Halve apricots and add to syrup with prunes and cherries. Simmer mixture 10 minutes and pour through a sieve into a 2-cup glass measure (you will have about 1 2/3 cups syrup). Reserve fruit and vanilla bean.
• In a food processor purée 1/2 cup reserved fruit and 2 tablespoons syrup until smooth. Spread purée evenly over bottom of tart shell and arrange remaining fruit on top. In a cup sprinkle gelatin over cold water to soften 1 minute. In a small saucepan boil 1/2 cup remaining syrup until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove pan from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved completely, and with a pastry brush brush glaze on fruit. Reserve remaining cup syrup for crème anglaise.
• Make crème anglaise:
• Have ready a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan combine cream and reserved cup syrup. Split reserved vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into pan. Discard vanilla bean. Bring mixture just to a boil and remove pan from heat. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to cleaned pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170° F. (Do not let custard boil.) Pour custard through a fine sieve into metal bowl set in bowl of ice water. Cool crème anglaise completely and stir in brandy. (Crème anglaise may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.)
• Serve tart with crème anglaise.