Apricot Almond Tart AKA ‘Summer In A Pie’

Nostalgic treats.

As I sat down to enjoy a fresh apricot almond tart some time last week for breakfast, I got teary but with a smile on my face.  Who knew that food can make you so nostalgic? This Apricot Almond Tart is one of this year’s summer tarts that will be special for a long time. I know, you all must be thinking that I have gone crazy being so emotional over a tart. Well, I’m a bit of an emotional person. Food brings me back many memories that I express instantly. In this case the tart took me back to a few weeks ago and my heart melted. 

Recreating memories!

I had the the busiest of summers ever! The good kinda busy though. Lately, it feels quieter and a bit calmer, but the summer is not over yet. So I’ve been thinking, can I bring back all that fun? Probably not! However, I can totally relive those fun moments through food. Like this apricot almond tart reminds me of the time spent around the dining table with family. My favorite place in my home is the dining table, where we not only gather to eat, but also to share our challenges throughout the day and also joy over the ones we’ve overcome.

Food to me is not just about eating out of hunger or craving; it’s about enjoying that very moment and creating special memories. In fact, every food recipe that I put up on the blog has a special memory attached to it. It’s such an amazing feeling to re-live those memories each time I create that recipe. 

Summer shenanigans

When I say I had a “busy summer”, it doesn’t mean I had a lot of work to do. In fact I took a 2 months break from work. My family was here and all I wanted to do was eat good food, be outdoors and spend quality time with them. Luckily I got to do all that this summer. So cheers to that! My mom did all the cooking and I did all the baking. Would you believe that we baked something almost everyday? We made really good use of all the summer fruits this year. Out of all the desserts we had, my family loved the apricot almond tart the most. They even had it for breakfast a couple times.

I had gotten used to my parents so much that I got homesick after they left. Not for long though because, I had more guests come over. First my nieces came and then their parents after. We had so much fun, especially when the kids were involved in baking, I was surprised at how creative they can get. I will have that 2nd part of the fun we had with another recipe in my next post. For now lets focus on the apricots. 

Summer is a tart away.

Apricots are among the first signs of summer. They are such a beautiful summer stone fruits, they have almost like a sunshine color. The vibrant orange color makes the prettiest fruit tart. The entire recipe has been inspired from Diana Henry’s cookbook – How To Eat A Peach. The almond tart shell recipe is from the book. However, I decided to use my own almond frangipane recipe for the filling. I modified the frangipane recipe a bit , and instead of 2 eggs, I added an extra yolk. This gave the frangipane a lot of creaminess and body, and made it really rich. 

As Diana explains in her book; apricots really do taste better after they are baked. Their flavor almost enhances, bringing out its tartness and the sweetness together. If you haven’t grilled or baked apricots before, you definitely gotta do it. In fact I think, all stone fruits taste amazing when they are grilled and baked. The tart shell is similar to 1-2-3 cookie dough and will be crumbly looking. So, you don’t want to roll it, coz it’s not going to work. Instead you want to press the dough as tightly as you can in the tart tin. Make sure the sides are little thicker than the bottom. This will prevent it from crumbling up after its baked. 

To spice things up a bit…

You all know I am a sucker when it comes to herbs and spices. So  the tart is obviously not done without spices. Cardamom is such a great spice to use in desserts. It’s also one of my favorite spices. The earthiness, and refreshing citrusy notes to it, brings out so much flavor in the dessert and goes so well with most fruits. I added some lavender, to give floral notes to the tart. I  just had to, fresh lavender is blooming all over! This means it goes in all the summer desserts. Ok, may be not all but most of the summer desserts. You know what else is in season? Thyme; how could I miss the fragrant citrusy thyme? It adds tons of fresh flavors to the tart. So here it is, the most gorgeous summer tart which has the right amount of tartness and perfect amount of sweetness. 

Too hot for the kitchen?

How is your summer going so far? What is baking in your kitchen? I hear that a lot of you are staying away from turning the ovens on because of the scorching heat. But you know what, this apricot almond tart freezes so well, that you could just prepare it, freeze it and bake it when it cools down a bit .You don’t even have to fill the tart shells with the fruits and frangipane, if you don’t want to. I always have frozen frangipane in my freezer. All I need is a tart or pie shell ready and fill that with the creamy delicious frangipane. 

PS: This post was due 2 weeks ago. But since I was spending most of the time at the lake and goofing around with the kids, nothing could be done. No regrets though, as sometimes you just have to enjoy that very present moment with your loved ones. 

Below is the recipe for the Apricot Almond Tart. Well I hope you have fun with this little taste of ‘summer in a pie’.

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Apricot Almond Tart AKA 'Summer In A Pie'

Course: Dessert

Keyword: tart, apricot tart, apricot almond tart

Servings: 1 9 inch tart

Ingredients

For the Pastry (1 9" Tart)

• 185 grams all purpose flour
• 35 grams almond meal
• 40 grams baker's sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 85 grams unsalted butter chilled
• 1 egg yolk small
• 1/2 tsp amaretto
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder optional

For Frangipane (This recipe will be for 2 tarts)

• 450 grams almond paste
• 1 egg yolk small
• 1 small egg
• 225 grams butter
• zest of a lemon
• 2 1/4 tsp pastry flour could use all purpose fl
• 1/2 tbsp grand mariner optional

For the Filling

• 680 grams fresh apricots pitted and thinly sliced
• 1/8 + 1tbsp cup honey
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp grand mariner
• 1/2 tsp lavender
• 1 tsp thyme
• Confectioners’ sugar to dust

Instructions

For the pastry

1. In food processor, add flour, almond meal, sugar, salt, cardamom and butter. Pulse for few seconds until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Add amaretto and egg yolk. Pulse again for few seconds until it is well combined to the form of a ball. Cover the dough in cling wrap and chill for at least 1-2 hours before using.

For Frangipane

1. Using the paddle, mix butter and almond paste in a mixer on medium to low speed till it is well incorporated and softened.
2. Add an egg while mixing and scrape the sides well. Then add the yolk and mix well. Mix on medium speed till it’s well incorporated and aerated.
3. Add the zest, liquor and mix. Fold in the flour and mix well.
4. Store in air tight container in refrigerator or freeze to store for longer time.

For Filling

1. Cut apricots in half and then cut thin slices. Toss them with honey and rest of the ingredients, except the confectioners’ sugar.

Assembly and Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree.
2. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and press the dough as tightly as you can the tart tin. Make sure the sides are slightly thicker than the bottom.
3. Cover it and put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This will prevent it from shrinking.
4. Spread 1/2 the Frangipane over the bottom of the tart. Freeze the other half for later use.
5. It might not look enough, but it will puff up when it bakes.
6. Arrange the apricot slices tightly or close to each other in a circular pattern, and place 1 half of the apricot, cut side up, in the centre to give a floral look.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
8. Remove the tart from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. Sprinkle almonds and dust some confectioners’ sugar on top.
9. Put it back in the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes until the crust is brown but not too dark.
10. Let cool for 30-45 minutes before taking it out of the tin. Cool it completely on a wire rack and then dust it with confectioners’ sugar.
11. Enjoy the summer in a pie, fresh with a cup of coffee, an espresso, a cup of tea or as is. You could also enjoy it warm with a scoop of ice cream or gelato.

Recipe Notes

The Frangipane recipe is for 2 tarts. It freezes so well and can be used for another kind of tart, pie, or any other dessert.