Tag: apricots

WWM #27: Fruits

Summer is the time of year when we live on fruit salads. If we get ambitious, maybe a pie, tart, galette . . . you get the picture. The prompt of “fruits” is perfect for the middle of July, the month of #WorldWatercolorMonth2019.

This year looks like it will be a really good year for our fig tree, a Brown Turkey. We used to have a Kadota, which is a lovely green fruit, and a perfect foil for the Brown Turkey, which are a deep purply-brown color. Figs are something I look forward to every year, to just walk out to the tree and enjoy a sweet treat . . .

Besides anticipating figs, we have also enjoyed grapes and apricots this season.  Cherries, nectarines, melons, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries.  Abundance!

The first painting is not quite where I want it to be.  I was focusing on contrast and shadows to separate one piece of fruit from another.  The same for the grapes and apricots, which is a bit more successful although I am not quite pleased with it because I think it is a bit overworked.  It’s interesting how I feel pretty good about some things – more confident – and less so with others.  I guess we all do.

Apricot Tart

With summer, the stone fruits beg to be eaten, made into jam, baked in pies and tarts, added to fruit salad!  The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any summer fruit, adapting the recipe as necessary for whatever fruit you choose. I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Apricot Tart
You will need about 12-18 apricots for the tart, depending on size.

The puree should be made ahead of time and cooled – if it is not cooled, the buttery dough will melt and the tart will not be as pretty as it could be – but it will still taste good!

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place rack for tart pan in lower 1/3 of oven.

Apricot Puree
12-15 ripe apricots

Make this before you begin the dough – you can make it the day before you plan on serving the tart.

Cut 10-12 apricots in half, removing seeds and any spoiled areas. Add more apricots if necessary. Put into heavy pan with 2-3 T. water; cook apricots in water until tender, stirring so as to make sure apricots do not burn. Cover apricots between stirring to reduce water evaporation. This will take about 10 minutes. Once apricots are soft, add 3 T. white sugar and any spices you may wish to use as flavoring, such as mace or cardamom. Cook in open pan until thickened – another 10 minutes or so. If it does not get too thick, don’t worry about it. Cool thoroughly before placing in tart.

Crust
2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
12 T (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
4 egg yolks

Cut butter into small dice; work into flour until resembles coarse meal. Knead into ball in bowl. If dough is crumbly, add a little bit of water (1/4 t. at a time) until you can create a smooth dough. Do not overwork. Cut off about 1/4 to 1/3 of ball. Reshape both into balls; wrap in plastic and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Apricot Slices
4-6 ripe apricots

Cut apricots in half, then cut the halves into quarters. These will be used to top the apricot puree.

Assembling the Tart
Take larger of the two balls of dough, flatten a bit, then mush into a 9-10 inch tart pan (one with a removable rim), covering the bottom and up the sides.

Use about 1/3 to 1/2 c. apricot preserves (I microwave mine a bit to make it easier to spread) and spread in a thin layer on top of dough.

Pour apricot puree over the jam, spreading evenly. Place sliced apricots on top of puree in a pretty pattern, or randomly. Just try to cover the top of the tart evenly so it will look nice.

Take smaller ball of dough and break off small pieces and place them evenly over the top of the tart.

Bake at 350 F for about 60-75 minutes. At 60 minutes, check it. If you use a convection oven, check it at 45-50 mins.

Very good served warm, at room temperature, with a bit of cream or marscapone or ice cream, or all alone!