Apricot and pistachio tart (tarte à l’abricot et à la pistache)

This tart is super-quick to put together. Especially if you have some pâte sucrée (sweet pastry) ready in your fridge or freezer. I always do and this way, dessert is almost always less than an hour away. There is nothing tricky to it either: pastry, crème d’amandes (almond cream), fruit and a little glaze. This tart is also amazing with poached pears or figs instead of apricots.

Credit: Fanny Zanotti

• serves

  8

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 8 apricots, halved and stoned
• 1 tbsp apricot jam
• ice-cream or whipped cream, to serve (optional)

Sweet pastry (pâte sucrée)

• 130 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 95 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 30 g almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 egg
• 250 g (1⅔ cups) plain flour

Pistachio almond cream

• 80 g butter, at room temperature
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 60 g almond meal (ground almonds)
• 60 g roasted pistachios, coarsely ground
• 30 g plain flour

Resting time 3 hours

Cooling time 1 hour

Instructions

To make the pastry, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the almond meal and beat until combined. Add the egg, beating well. Add the flour and beat until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 5 days before using. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 4 mm-thick rectangle. Carefully wrap the dough around your rolling pin and place on top of a 10 cm x 30 cm tart tin. Line the tart case with the dough, then trim the edges. Place in the freezer while you get on with the pistachio almond cream.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

To make the pistachio almond cream, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar for 8–10 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl every now and then. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (for at least 2 minutes) after each addition. Tip in the almond meal, pistachios and flour, and beat until just combined.

Transfer the pistachio almond cream to a piping bag fitted with a 12 mm nozzle and pipe the cream over the bottom of the prepared tart case. Arrange the apricots halves, cut-side up, on top and bake for 40–45 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the glaze, place the apricot jam and 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Gently brush the glaze over the hot tart, then allow the tart to cool in the tin on a wire rack to room temperature.

Slice the tart into wedges and serve, perhaps with a scoop of ice-cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Note

• A quick word on crème d’amandes, a staple in French patisserie. Often, it’s too buttery or too spongy. It even gets called frangipane – and trust me, it’s no frangipane. To make a gorgeous crème d’amandes, you just have to make sure the eggs are at room temperature. If you add them fridge-cold to the creamed butter, the mixture will split and might leak butter during baking.

Recipe from Like a strawberry milk by Fanny Zanotti, with photographs by Fanny Zanotti.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.