Fresh Apricot Tarts Food

ALMOND APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• To make the frangipane, place the almonds and the sugar in a food processor and grind until sandy. Add the butter and continue mixing then add the egg, vanilla, and the flour and mix until smooth.
• To make the tart, on a floured work surface pass your rolling pin over the pastry just to flatten any ridges.
• Place it on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and cut out a 9-inch disk. Spread the almond frangipane in the center of the tart leaving a 1-inch border. Firmly place the apricot halves into the frangipane spacing them evenly around the tart. Dot the spaces between the apricots with the whole almonds.
• Bake until golden brown on the top and puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

EVERYDAY APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Make filling: Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together cornstarch and egg yolks. Whisk in milk and honey until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisking constantly, cook over medium until the first large bubble sputters. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Press plastic wrap on surface of pudding; refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water). Do not overmix.
• Press dough evenly into a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan, starting with the sides. Freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, pressing down with a spoon if the tart shell puffs, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely. (To store, keep at room temperature, up to 1 day.)
• Whisk chilled pudding until smooth; spread in cooled tart shell, and top with apricots. In a small saucepan, heat jam over medium-low until liquefied; gently brush apricots with jam. Refrigerate tart in pan 1 hour (or up to 3 hours); unmold just before serving.

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.

EASY APRICOT TART

Steps:

• First, make the marzipan. Mix both sugars with the ground almonds and vanilla in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Reserve 1 tsp of the beaten egg in a small dish, then tip the rest into the well along with the lemon juice. Mix everything well, then mix in the cream, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture is spreadable (you may not need all the cream). Chill for 20 mins if it's too warm to spread properly, or greasy. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, then score it lightly around the edges to create a 1.5cm border - be careful not to cut all the way through. Lightly score a diamond pattern over the middle to keep the pastry from rising in the centre during cooking.
• Spread the marzipan over the middle of the pastry, leaving the border clear (see tip, below). Top with the apricots, cut-side down. Brush the border with the reserved beaten egg, then bake for 15 mins. Scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 5-10 mins more until the almonds are golden and the pastry has cooked through.
• Warm the jam over a low heat, then brush it over the apricots. Cut into squares and serve warm with ice cream or cream. Will keep chilled for up to two days.

FRESH APRICOT TART

Steps:

• To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Brush a 8-by-11-inch tart pan with removable bottom with butter.
• Place the almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Add the butter, and process until combined. Pulse in the flour, the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and the almond extract until combined.
• Transfer the crumbly dough to the prepared pan. Using your fingers, pat out dough evenly to make a thin crust along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Chill the crust 30 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the filling and assemble the tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almond slices in a single layer in a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, almond flour, and baking powder; whisk together. Whisk in the eggs, melted butter, and half-and-half until well combined. Pour the filling into the baked crust.
• Arrange the apricot halves, cut sides up, on top of the filling, packing the fruit closely together. Sprinkle the tops of the apricots with the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the entire tart.
• Bake the tart until the filling is puffed and golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes for even browning. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool. Unmold, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

FRESH APRICOT TARTS

Steps:

• Place the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk and set aside. Place one of the vol-au-vent shells on a lightly floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin until about 5 inches in diameter. Place on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining vol-au-vent.Divide and spoon the cream cheese mixture into the centre of each vol-au-vent and top with apricot wedges. Chill for 20 minutes in the fridge. With oven rack in the middle of the oven, preheat it to 375 degrees F. Bake the tarts for 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Dust with icing sugar just before serving warm or at room temperature.

PUFF PASTRY APPLE TURNOVERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; add apples and toss to coat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet into a 12-in. square. Cut each into four squares. , Spoon 1/2 cup apple mixture into the center of each square; fold diagonally in half and press edges to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet., In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon; brush over pastry. Bake at 400° for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

DIABETIC FRIENDLY COUNTRY APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour a large baking sheet; set aside.
• For the cornmeal crust, in a medium bowl stir together 3/4 cup flour, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons Splenda, baking powder, and salt.
• Cut in butter or margarine until the size of small peas.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cold fat-free milk over mixture; gently toss with a fork.
• Add 3 to 4 tablespoons more fat-free milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moistened (dough will be crumbly).
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 7 to 8 times or just until dough clings together and form into a ball. On the baking sheet, flatten dough.
• Roll into a 12-inch circle and set aside.
• For Filling:.
• In a bowl stir together 1/3 cup Splenda, the 3 tablespoons flour, and the nutmeg or cinnamon. Stir in the apricots or peaches and lemon juice.
• Mound the filling in center of crust, leaving a 2-inch border.
• Fold border up over filling.
• Brush top and sides of crust with the 2 teaspoons milk.
• Bake in a 350 F degree oven about 40 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.
• To prevent overbrowning, cover the edge of the crust with foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking if needed.
• Cool tart for 30 minutes on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

VERLET'S APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Set aside.
• Make the pastry:
• In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and the sugar, and using a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to form a soft, cookie-like dough. Transfer the dough to the center of the buttered pan. Using the tips of your fingers, evenly press the pastry along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. The pastry will be quite thin.
• Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake unitl the dough is slightly puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the ground almonds over the bottom of the crust. (This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.)
• Meanwhile make the filling:
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the crème fraîche, egg, extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour.
• Pour the filling evenly over the pastry. Starting just inside the edge of the pan, neatly overlap the halved apricots, cut side up, at an angle. Arrange in two or three concentric circles, working toward the center. Fill in the center with the remaining apricots.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the filling is firm and the pastry is a deep golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. The apricots will shrivel slightly. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Place the tart on a rack to cool. Sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

FRESH APRICOT TART

Steps:

• To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.with rack in center. Brush and 8-by-11-inch tart pan with removable bottom with butter.
• Place the almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Add the butter, and process until combined. Pulse in the flour, the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and the almond extract until combined.
• Transfer the crumbly dough to the prepared pan. Using your fingers, pat out dough evenly to make a thin crust along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Chill the crust 30 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• To make the filling and assemble the tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almond slices in a single layer in a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, salt, all-purpose flour, almond flour, and baking powder; whisk together. Whisk in the eggs, melted butter, and half-and-half until well combined. Pour the filling into the baked crust.
• Arrange the apricot halves, cut-sides up, on top of the filling, packing the fruit closely together. Sprinkle the tops of the apricots with the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the entire tart.
• Bake the tart until the filling is puffed and golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes for even browning. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool. Unmold, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving.