By Liane Arno
MATT is the gardener is our family and last year I was lamenting to him that we had hardly any apricots on our tree.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “There’ll be plenty next year.”
This is because apricots are biennial bearing as they exhaust themselves one year and make up for it the next. So we have loads this year, which is lovely – but why I probably won’t be giving you an apricot recipe next year.
The other thing to bear in mind about apricots is that they are climacteric – in other words they ripen off the tree. As soon as you see your apricots getting a blush of colour it is time to whip them off the tree before the birds get to them.
MATT is the gardener is our family and last year I was lamenting to him that we had hardly any apricots on our tree.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “There’ll be plenty next year.”
This is because apricots are biennial bearing as they exhaust themselves one year and make up for it the next. So we have loads this year, which is lovely – but why I probably won’t be giving you an apricot recipe next year.
The other thing to bear in mind about apricots is that they are climacteric – in other words they ripen off the tree. As soon as you see your apricots getting a blush of colour it is time to whip them off the tree before the birds get to them.
This recipe is a wonderful combination of creamy caramel, tangy apricots and buttery pastry. You can buy pastry if you must – but it is so easy to make your own. The one I made with the tart is a rough puff pastry.
Combine in a bowl:
Rub the butter into the flour until it is a crumbly mess. Add slowly
You will end up with a shaggy dough. Pop into the fridge for 15 minutes.
While that is chilling pop into a large frypan
Pop onto a low heat and wait for it to turn into a dark caramel. No stirring, just wait patiently, it will take about 10 minutes. You will see the sugar start to melt. When it is all melted and is caramelized whisk in
Work quickly to stir the butter in. Now add in a single layer
Simmer for the time it takes for the next step with the pastry (about five minutes)
Take the pastry out and roll it into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold the bottom third up to the 2/3 mark and take the top third and fold that over. Turn this 90 degrees and roll your now 3cm rectangle down to 1cm again and do the folding again. Pop back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Back to the stove top and turn the apricots over so that the skin sides are now facing down. Take them off the heat. By this stage there should be plenty of mixed caramel and juices in the pan. Bring the apricots together (they will have shrunk a little bit) so that you have them centred in the pan with a couple of centimetres on the edge of the frypan with no apricots.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and repeat the rolling and folding step again and then back into the fridge for 30 minutes. When the time is up roll out the pastry into a circle the same size as the frypan. Pop it on the top of the apricots and push into the edge of the frypan so you have the whole area covered.
Pop the frypan into a 220°C oven for 20 minutes.
Leave it to cool for 5 minutes or so and then take a dish the same size as the internal size of the frypan. Place it upside down in the frypan and then upend the frypan so that the tart drops into the dish.
Best served warm with a dollop of cream.
Combine in a bowl:
- 200g plain flour
- 80g cold butter
Rub the butter into the flour until it is a crumbly mess. Add slowly
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 50ml ice cold water
You will end up with a shaggy dough. Pop into the fridge for 15 minutes.
While that is chilling pop into a large frypan
- 100g sugar
Pop onto a low heat and wait for it to turn into a dark caramel. No stirring, just wait patiently, it will take about 10 minutes. You will see the sugar start to melt. When it is all melted and is caramelized whisk in
- 40g butter
Work quickly to stir the butter in. Now add in a single layer
- 500g halved firm apricots cut side down
Simmer for the time it takes for the next step with the pastry (about five minutes)
Take the pastry out and roll it into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold the bottom third up to the 2/3 mark and take the top third and fold that over. Turn this 90 degrees and roll your now 3cm rectangle down to 1cm again and do the folding again. Pop back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Back to the stove top and turn the apricots over so that the skin sides are now facing down. Take them off the heat. By this stage there should be plenty of mixed caramel and juices in the pan. Bring the apricots together (they will have shrunk a little bit) so that you have them centred in the pan with a couple of centimetres on the edge of the frypan with no apricots.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and repeat the rolling and folding step again and then back into the fridge for 30 minutes. When the time is up roll out the pastry into a circle the same size as the frypan. Pop it on the top of the apricots and push into the edge of the frypan so you have the whole area covered.
Pop the frypan into a 220°C oven for 20 minutes.
Leave it to cool for 5 minutes or so and then take a dish the same size as the internal size of the frypan. Place it upside down in the frypan and then upend the frypan so that the tart drops into the dish.
Best served warm with a dollop of cream.
