The apricots and raspberries together in this sweet make for a truly sensational bite. This is my favorite of the three fruit desserts that I baked for friends recently. Jen’s too if I’m remembering right. I meant to take notes, but just couldn’t manage to stuff myself and write about it at the same time. Alcohol doesn’t help either, so hopefully it is as good as I’m remembering. The fruit sits upon a delicious nutty crust and is topped with a crisp streusel topping. What more can you want? The crust is a press in btw – no rolling here, so don’t be scared. I was worried that the tart would be a soggy mess (since you do not pre-bake the shell), but it was sweet, tart, and so very flavorful. My mouth is watering in memory now as I write. I must say that this rivals any chocolate dessert for me (and that is saying a lot). Oh and try to find good apricots and berries – remember that the best fruit desserts must start with tasty fruit (so sample it and if it is bad, remember that it will be worse in your dessert)! Deborah Madison’s book is filled with a myriad of fruit desserts. Each more mouth watering than the next. Enjoy this-
You will need a 9 inch tart pan and a food processor.
Best to serve the day you make it although leftovers are good in the AM.
apricot raspberry tart (from Seasonal Fruit Desserts by Deborah Madison):
tart dough and topping–
1/2 cup almonds (with our w/out skin)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or just use (more)vall purpose if you don’t have)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
fruit filling–
4 cups ripe apricots, quartered (if overripe just cut in half), pitted
1 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
pinch kosher salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the tart dough and topping, place the almonds and sugar in a food processor with half the salt and pulse until the mixture is fine and smooth. Measure out 1/2 cup of this mixture (for the topping) and set it aside for later.
Add the flour and remaining salt to to the remainder in the food processor and combine. Add the chunks of butter and pulse until broken up into coarse crumbs.
Mix the water, vanilla and egg yolks with a fork and then with the food processor running, add this liquid and pulse until the dough looks moist and has started to come together.
Remove 1/2 cup of this dough and add it to the reserved 1/2 cup of the almond sugar mixture. And again, set aside for topping.
Press the remaining dough (from the food processor) into a 9 inch tart pan and using your fingers press the dough into the pan. Use your fingers to press the dough up the sides of the tart pan and to flatten the base. If the butter warms up and you are having trouble – refrigerate it and then continue to press in and form a nice even crust.
Toss the apricots, raspberries, flour, sugar and salt together and pour into the tart shell.
Rub the reserved 1/2 cup almond tart dough and 1/2 cup almond-sugar mixture together and make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the fruit.
Place the assembled tart on a sheet-pan and place in the center of the oven – bake until the top is nicely golden and the fruit has released its juices – about 45 minutes or so.
Remove and let cool.
I had a hard time removing the bottom circle of the tart – so i just left it on. Of course remove the tart ring before serving.
Delicious! Enjoy-
