Ingredients
1 C whole almonds (or shelled pistachios) 1/2 C sugar 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla essence pinch of salt 1 piece thawed puff pastry handful of apricots (about 6) 1 egg dash of milk or cream 1/4 C apricot jamSummary
If there are apricots in the house, it’s unusual for them to be enjoyed any other way than directly, and fairly instantaneously, from the fruit bowl. If there’s a glut, then jam (because it’s the best kind of jam), but otherwise they’re gone, down the hatch, before I’ve really noticed. But in the interest of sharing a delicious fruity dessert with you, I found this quick-looking, slightly cheaty recipe online (puff pastry, creamy nut butter, sliced fruit… voila) and what do you know – it’s delicious! And it only reduced the fruit bowl by about 6 apricots which seemed a reasonable sacrifice for such yummy treat.
Check out the original pistachio version here, from an old Martha Stewart magazine of all things!
Easy apricot almond tart
Firstly make the delicious nutty paste that holds the fruit. Blend the nuts and sugar together in a food processor. Add the butter and continue until it becomes a paste, then blend in the egg, vanilla and salt.
Grab a baking tray. Take your thawed sheet of puff pastry and, laying it on a lightly floured bench, roll it out a little to make a rectangle that will fill the size of the tray. Or just leave it as is – whatever shape, pop it on the baking tray and spread the nut mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving an inch around the edges.
Run a knife around the apricots, removing the stones. Slice each half in to 3 or 4 wedges, and lay them down on top of the nut mixture. Fold in the edges of the dough with a little pinch. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Whisk together an egg wash (a beaten egg with a dash of milk or cream) to make the pastry glossy and delicious looking and brush this over the pastry. Note, you won’t need the whole egg so freeze the remaining or put this in to another meal. Chop up a few extra nuts and sprinkle them over the tart if you so choose.
Bake for about 35 minutes, checking after 15 minutes to rotate if necessary. While it cools on a wire rack, heat a few spoons of jam with the same again of water to make a quick glaze – when it’s runny brush this over the fruit. Spectacular and delicious! Thanks Martha.
