This recipe from The Cook’s Atelier cookbook (Abrams, 2018) highlights their rich local produce: Bergeron apricots. Want to see more of this gorgeous French cookbook? Check out our inside look at the cookbook and enter our giveaway!
At the market in Beaune, we have the most beautiful rose-colored Bergeron apricots in the late spring and early summer. They are perfect for this apricot tart, as they are sweet and delicate, yet still hold their shape well. If you can’t find the Bergeron variety, feel free to use any type of small apricot. Be sure to work quickly after adding the sugar and lemon mixture to the apricots, so they don’t lose too much of their juice.
Rustic Apricot Tart
Makes 1 (9-inch/23-cm) tart or 8 (4-inch/10-cm) tartlets
Ingredients
- Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting
- ½ recipe Pâte Sucrée (below)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- Seeds of ½ vanilla bean
- ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
- 2 pounds (910 g) Bergeron apricots
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, use the pâte sucrée to make the tart shell (below). Freeze it for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and heavy cream. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the egg wash over the dough. Partially blind bake the tart shell (below).
- Raise the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C).
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla seeds, and salt. Set aside.
- Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. If the apricots are small, cut them into quarters; if they’re large, cut them into eighths. Place the apricots in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar mixture, and gently toss until evenly coated.
- Working quickly, arrange the apricot slices, tightly overlapping, on the bottom of the tart shell, forming a tight, compact circle. The apricots will shrink as they cook, so try to fit as much fruit in the tart shell as possible. Scrape any remaining sugar mixture left in the bowl over the apricots, then lightly sprinkle them with more sugar. Bake until the pastry is golden and the fruit is cooked through and slightly caramelized, 40 to 45 minutes. The finished tart should have a jam-like consistency, with a golden, flaky crust. The liquid will be bubbling. Let the tart cool to room temperature before serving and then dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche. The tart is best eaten the day it is made.
Pâte Sucrée
Makes enough for 2 (9-inch/23-cm) tarts or 16 (4-inch/10-cm) tartlets
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon fleur de sel
- 1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1⁄3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter. Using your hands, gently toss to coat the butter in the flour mixture. Scoop the mixture in your hands and gently press the flour mixture and butter between your fingertips until the mixture looks grainy, with some small pieces of butter still visible. Work quickly to ensure the butter stays cold.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks and cream. Drizzle over the dough and use a fork to gently toss until incorporated. Continue working the dough, gently squeezing it between your fingertips until it comes together and there is no dry flour visible. Be careful not to overwork the dough. It’s ready as soon as you can squish the dough in one hand and it stays together.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight. Pâte sucrée can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Variations: For a nut dough: Replace ½ cup (65 g) of the flour with ½ cup (55 g) finely chopped toasted skinned hazelnuts or almonds.
- For a citrus dough: Add 2 to 3 teaspoons finely grated lemon or orange zest to the flour, sugar, and salt mixture.
