Chocolate Apricot Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter the tart pan.
• For the crust: Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, almonds, cocoa powder and sugar in a food processor. Process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. With the processor running, gradually add 2 tablespoons of iced water until the mixture forms a ball, adding extra water, as needed, if the mixture is too dry. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place the dough in the tart pan and trim any excess dough from the top of the pan. If the dough cracks, press scraps of dough into the cracks to seal. Prick the dough all over, using a fork, and bake for 15 minutes. Let the crust cool for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate and butter in a small bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Beat the eggs, liqueur, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until the filing has set and begins to crack slightly on top, 22 to 25 minutes. Allow the tart to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the apricot cream: Beat the cream at high speed until stiff peaks form, using a hand mixer. Add the jam and vanilla. Beat until the jam is incorporated into the cream.
• Remove the tart from the pan and cut into thin wedges. Serve with a dollop of apricot cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• To make the frangipane, place the almonds and the sugar in a food processor and grind until sandy. Add the butter and continue mixing then add the egg, vanilla, and the flour and mix until smooth.
• To make the tart, on a floured work surface pass your rolling pin over the pastry just to flatten any ridges.
• Place it on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and cut out a 9-inch disk. Spread the almond frangipane in the center of the tart leaving a 1-inch border. Firmly place the apricot halves into the frangipane spacing them evenly around the tart. Dot the spaces between the apricots with the whole almonds.
• Bake until golden brown on the top and puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Steps:

• For the tart crust, roll the dough to a rough 12-inch disk and transfer it to the cookie sheet. Pierce the dough all over with a fork and place a plate or pattern on to and cut it to a perfect 11-inch circle. Butter the bottom of one of the cake pans and center it on the disk of dough. Chill one hour.
• While the dough is chilling, cook the apricots. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the middle level. Thickly butter the other pan and sprinkle it with the brown sugar. Arrange the apricot halves, skin side down in the pan, alternating a dried apricot with every two fresh apricot halves. Sprinkle with the remaining butter and then the lemon juice. Bake the apricots about 40 minutes, until they are well cooked through. Cool on a rack.
• To bake the tart crust, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and place the cookie sheet and dough, still covered by the cake pan into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the cake pan. Continue baking about 15 to 20 minutes more, until deep golden and crisp, piercing the dough with a fork if it bubbles up. Cool the crust in the pan on a rack.
• To assemble the tart, reheat the apricots for a few seconds over low heat to make sure they are not stuck to the pan. Invert the tart crust to a cardboard and slide the crust over the top of the pan the apricots are in. Cover the crust with the cardboard or a platter and invert the apricots onto the crust. Remove the pan and rearrange the apricots if necessary. Serve tepid with some whipped cream.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll the dough into a 12-inch diameter circle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch tart pan by rolling the dough around the rolling pin. Line the tart pan with the dough. Dock the dough and set aside.
• Make the almond cream. Spread a layer of almond cream inside the tart. Pit and quarter the fresh apricots. Arrange them on top of the almond cream by standing them on end. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top of the tart and bake for about 40 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
• Place the almond flour, cake flour and cold butter in the mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add the salt and powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add the egg and mix until combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour to chill dough.
• Roll the dough to the desired size on a lightly floured work surface.
• Baking instructions vary and will be specified in any recipe using this dough. The dough will keep, well wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for 1 month. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. If you want to store the dough already rolled into a tart pan, wrap it in plastic wrap.
• It is possible to buy almond flour (use 1 cup if you do) but it just as easy to make your own. Place the slivered almonds (no skin preferred) and granulated sugar into the food processor. Pulse until the almonds and sugar reach the consistency of flour. It is best to pulse because the heat of the blade will cause the release of the oil from the almonds.
• Mix in the flour. Mix in the butter. Add the egg and mix until the mixture becomes light and creamy. Do not overmix or the gluten in the flour will overdevelop and the almond cream will lose its delicate texture when baked.

Steps:

• Cut apricots in half and remove pits. Place 5 apricot halves on each disk. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Melt glaze and brush over tarts. Sprinkle almonds around the edges of the tarts.

Steps:

• To make the filling, put the apricot pieces in a medium sized bown. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the apricots along with the white wine and the cointreau. Cover and set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes up to an hour.
• Transfer the apricots and their soaking water to a saucepan and add the cinnamon stick and white and brown sugars. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture has a thick and jam like consistency, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. Set aside to cool. Remove cinnamon stick.
• Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Unroll the puff pastry. Cut out five or six 4 inch circles from it with a sharp cutter. Take a smaller 3 inch cuter and make another light indentation in the centre of the circle. (there should be a 1/2 inch border all around) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the border with the demerara sugar and then dust with cinnamon lightly.
• Spoon heaping TBS of the filling into the centre of the pastry, spreading it right up to the border indentation. Do not be tempted to overfill as the mixture will spread upon heating in the oven. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over top of each.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven until the filling is bubbly and the pastry is lightly browned and crisp. Remove from the oven and immediately remove from the pan with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until quite soft and melted. Take a fork and drizzle the white chocolate decoratively across the tarts. Let cool completely before serving.