Recipe: Dried Apricot Tart with Almond and Orange

Apr 22, 2013 by The Bald Gourmet    4 Comments    Posted under: Dessert Recipes, Recipes

Dried Apricot Tart

Easter this year was a beautiful sunny day, and I wanted something bright and “sunny” to match, so I created this delicious dried apricot tart.  With its bright apricot flavor and color, zesty orange bite, and almond crunch, it ended up being the perfect dessert for the day.

While on vacation at the Oregon Coast this past week, I made it again to finalize my recipe notes and correct some minor things.  We were staying in a rustic old cabin, which created the perfect photography backdrop for this delicious country dessert.  Enjoy!

The Bald Gourmet Perfecting His Dried Apricot Tart Recipe

How to Make an Almond Tart Crust

• 2 cups all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for dusting
• 5 tablespoons ground almonds (1/3 cup whole almonds, processed to fine chunks in a food processor)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoons almond liqueur
• 3/8 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup water

Combine 2 cups flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Add Dry Tart Crust Ingredients to Bowl

Stir Dry Ingredients to Combine

Add butter and cut into flour mixture until small crumbs are achieved.

Cut in Butter to Dry Ingredients

Stir almond liqueur and vanilla extract into water, and cut into flour and butter mixture until just combined.  Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to let cool.

While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375°.

Once dough has chilled and the butter has firmed, remove from plastic wrap, dust with 1 tablespoon of flour, and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Place in tart pan, trim off excess, and form evenly throughout pan, adding trimmed dough as needed along the sides to create a uniform thickness.

Press Tart Dough into Tart Pan

Place dough in the center rack of preheated oven, and bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes, until a done.  You’ve essentially made a large almond cookie, so look for a texture similar to that of a hot baked cookie.  Check on the crust while baking and break any large bubbles which may form with a fork or toothpick.

Pre-Baked Tart Crust

Remove from oven and set aside.

Recipe – How to Make an Almond Orange Tart Filling

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon almond liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Add egg and egg yolk to mixing bowl, and whisk together.

Egg and Egg Yolk in Bowl

Whisk Egg in Country Bowl

Add remaining ingredients to beaten eggs and whisk well to combine, trying to get rid of as many cream cheese lumps as you can.

Whisk Tart Wet Ingredients Together

Pour tart filling into prepared tart crust (still in tart pan), place in the center rack of preheated oven, and bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Remove from oven, then prepare the apricot topping.

Can I Use Dried Apricots to Make a Tart?

Although you could use fresh apricots for this tart, dried apricots have a stronger flavor and a more chewy texture, which to me, makes them perfect for tarts.  Plus, dried are readily available year round.  In order to use dried apricots, you should cut each apricot in half lengthwise to make them easier to bite and chew.

Slicing Dried Apricot in Half

When choosing your dried apricots, make sure to select a high quality brand which provides soft, gooey centered dried apricots, such as Mariani.

Mariani Dried Apricots

For the Dried Apricot Tart, you will need the following:

• Roughly 30 dried apricots
• Roughly 2 tablespoons apricot jam

Arrange apricot halves onto baked tart, cut side down.  Start on the outside and work your way into the center.  Brush/smear apricot jam all over the dried apricots and tart filling to completely glaze.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (4 is preferable), then remove from tart pan, place on a serving tray, slice, and enjoy.  Yum!

Glazed Dried Apricot Tart

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, March 30, 2013

The Bald Gourmet’s recipe for Dried Apricot Tart with Orange and Almond is delicious and reminds you of a country summer dessert.

Recipe: Dried Apricot Tart with Almond and Orange

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

With its bright apricot flavor and color, zesty orange bite, and almond crunch, this apricot tart is the perfect dessert for a sunny day.

Author: Jothan Yeager – The Bald Gourmet

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for dusting
• 5 tablespoons ground almonds (1/3 cup whole almonds, processed to fine chunks in a food processor)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoons almond liqueur
• ⅜ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup water
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond liqueur
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• Roughly 30 dried apricots
• Roughly 2 tablespoons apricot jam

Instructions

1. For the crust: Combine 2 cups flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add butter and cut into flour mixture until small crumbs are achieved. Stir 1.5 teaspoons almond liqueur and ⅜ teaspoon vanilla extract into water, and cut into flour and butter mixture until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to let cool.
2. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375°.
3. Once dough has chilled and the butter has firmed, remove from plastic wrap, dust with 1 tablespoon of flour, and roll out to about ¼ inch thickness. Place in tart pan, trim off excess, and form evenly throughout pan, adding trimmed dough as needed along the sides to create a uniform thickness.
4. Place dough in the center rack of preheated oven, and bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes, until a done. You’ve essentially made a large almond cookie, so look for a texture similar to that of a hot baked cookie. Check on the crust while baking and break any large bubbles which may form with a fork or toothpick.
5. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. For the Almond Orange Tart Filling: Add egg and egg yolk to a mixing bowl, and whisk together. Add remaining ingredients (except for apricots and jam) to beaten eggs and whisk well to combine, trying to get rid of as many cream cheese lumps as you can.
7. Pour tart filling into prepared tart crust (still in tart pan), place in the center rack of preheated oven, and bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven, then prepare the apricot topping by arranging apricot halves onto baked tart, cut side down. Start on the outside and work your way into the center.
9. Brush/smear apricot jam all over the dried apricots and tart filling to completely glaze.
10. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (4 is preferable), then remove from tart pan.
11. Place on a serving tray, slice, and enjoy. Yum!

Notes

Although you could use fresh apricots for this tart, dried apricots have a stronger flavor and a more chewy texture, which to me, makes them perfect for tarts. Plus, dried are readily available year round. In order to use dried apricots, you should cut each apricot in half lengthwise to make them easier to bite and chew.

When choosing your dried apricots, make sure to select a high quality brand which provides soft, gooey centered dried apricots, such as Mariani.

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