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Monday 15 June 2009

Apricot & Hazlenut Tart - perfect with Faye d'Anjou

Several clients have recently asked for the recipe for this tart so I thought the easiest solution would be to put it up on the blog. I've been making tarts loosely based around this recipe for years, the inital inspiration coming from my mum's Bakewell Tart formula (which uses ground almonds not hazlenuts). It's incredibly easy to make and you can safely fiddle with it remaining confident that the end result will be great.

You will need:

Enough sweet pastry to line whatever tin you decide to use (I make a Marco Pierre-White sweet base but you could use any sweet pastry or shortcrust)
6oz ground hazlenuts
6oz unsalted butter (at room temperature)
6oz of caster sugar
2 eggs
Fresh apricots (enough to cover the base evenly spaced - last time I used about 10. It's best to choose ones that are firm and quite tart as this balances out the sweet filling)

Method

Roll out and line your tin with the pastry - prick the base and chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add the ground nuts and eggs and beat together until well blended
Spread evenly over the base of the pastry
Cut the apricots in half and evenly place on top of the filling pressing down lightly to secure them.

Voila!

Couple of additional points - sometimes if I don't have enough ground hazlenuts in the cupboard I mix them half and half with ground almonds. If the mixture seems a bit firm, add a couple of tablespoons of cream to loosen it slightly.

Apologies for using ounces - this instantly ages me I know but the quantities are easier to remember that way.

Use ground almonds and fresh raspberries for great alternative.

If neither fruit is in season you can use a good quality fruit preserve in place of the fresh fruit. In this case, first spread a thick layer directly on to the base of the pastry and then spread the filling on top. Not so spectular to look at but delicious just the same.

Bake for about half an hour at roughly 180 C

The apricot and hazlenut option is sublime with Eddy Oosterlinck-Bracke's Faye d'Anjou Les Quarts de Juchepie 2004 (see previous blog for in-depth info).

Hope you enjoy it.

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