Try to find the ripest apricots in your local market They should have deep orange flesh and a red blush on the skin. Avoid unripe ones. This tart is all about flavor!
Yield: 6 servings
Time: 45 minutes plus 60 minutes in case you make your own sweet shortcrust pastry
Ingredients:
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 stick (170 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1-3 Tbsp ice water
Apricot Topping:
- butter to grease pastry tin
- 1 lb (450 g) ripe apricots, halved and pitted
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 6 Tbsp apricot jam
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, salt, and sugar, kneading it as quickly as possible to obtain a uniform mass. If the pastry feels too dry, add cold milk to the sweet pastry. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven 375°F (190°C).
After 1 hour remove the pastry ball from the refrigerator and let it warm up a bit. It will make pastry more pliable and easy to work with. In the meantime flour rolling pin and working surface. Roll out the pastry onto the bottom and sides of a 10 inch (25 cm) pie pan with removable bottom. Cut off excessive pastry hanging over the sides. Arrange apricots halves cut side down, close together inside the pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until both pastry and apricots are golden. About 40 minutes.
Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan. If the jam is too thick, thin it up with a bit of water to spread it more easily over the apricots. Serve warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche.
