Jems of apricot brighten the luscious almond filling in this summery tart. # 174: Apricot Jewel Tart

Before we go anywhere in this post, I have to ask: does anybody else think these glazed apricots look like egg yolks? I didn’t notice til I was uploading the photos, but now I can’t see anything else. I promise it’s more delicious than the fried egg tart it seems to be!

Happy stone fruit season! I love love love the transition from spring to summer. Bring on the BBQs, bonus hours of sunlight, paddleboarding and nectarines! Like everyone else, I’m trying to focus on the summery things that we’ll actually be able to do in the midst a pandemic, so I’m choosing to not think about summer festivals and travel. Out of sight, out of mind, right?… Just focus on the nectarines, friends.

I’m lucky enough to live a few blocks from a rose garden and it’s been the highlight of the last few weeks. I’ve managed to walk through it every day during my lunch break and it’s downright magical! I can even smell them through my face mask, so double win right there.

I’ve always thought apricots pack a super tangy punch for such a tiny fruit. The wince is so real if you bite into an unripe one! But they hold their shape really well in baked goods and bring a lot of brightness to a rich dessert. Not only do they seem more squat and sturdy than their peachy cousins when ripe, but they’ve got the science to back it up: apparently they have about 15% more fiber than peaches, nectarines, and plums.

My favorite way to eat them is dried and then soaked in orange juice. It’s a flavor combo made in heaven – they’re so sweet and fabulous. Eat em straight or add them to a cheeseboard to bring the fancy up a notch!

For the sake of elegance, the recipe called for peeled apricots. They’re slightly less fuzzy than a peach but they’re still soft and velvety to the touch, making them less pretty after baking. Fun fact about peach (and apricot) fuzz: it’s there to help wick moisture away from the fruit while it’s growing! Instead of evolving with thicker skin, the peach decided to embrace No-shave November (err, May) to avoid absorbing too much rain.

Blanching them makes the process a whole lot quicker. Drop them into boiling water for 30 – 60 seconds and then plop them into a bowl of ice water. Once they’ve cooled down, you can just slide the skins off like magic.

Both the crust and the filling called for almond flour and I was (very sadly) out. Luckily I had some almonds in the freezer! I threw them in the food processor and voila – almond flour! Mine wasn’t as smooth as store-bought, but perfection is overrated.

One simple almond sweet crust, comin’ up!

Plus butter, obviously. Who do you think I am.

You don’t even need to clean the food processor after making the almond flour. * happy dance *

This is the story of a poorly-managed dough transfer.

The end.

Luckily, the only thing lost in the process was about 10 minutes and a few ounces of sanity.

Ready for some blind-bake sauna time.

Meanwhile, gotta prep some filling! Frangipane is a glorious mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, flavorings (vanilla and almond extract) and ground nuts. If you’re wondering why the heck my butter is ghostly white – it’s goat butter! It honestly tasted very similar to European-style cow butter, but I recommend trying it for the fun of it.

If you make your own almond flour, it might look a little grainy but remember: it’ll taste freaking fabulous once baked and you are super cool and resourceful for making your own.

Almond-y waves on a sweetcrust shore.

Oo la la!

Post-sauna and ready to glaze. You’re supposed to use melted apricot jam, but I had a mango lemon glaze from something else. Worked like a charm!

I baked the crust for at least an extra 10 minutes past what the recipe called for since it just looked too pale. No soggy bottoms here!

I couldn’t resist copying the recipe’s style choice when it came to cutting the tart – triangles are much cuter than rectangles!

Especially with sparkly gems in the center.

I tried a piece when it was warm and later when they cooled down and I have to say, it’s fabulous at any temperature. The last few pieces held up really well in the fridge for several days after too! No third-day sogginess, no sir.

Happy munching!

Recipe from: https://www.bakefromscratch.com/apricot-frangipane-tart/