Apricot Tarte Fine

Hello there,

Apricot and cherry season is upon us. I haven’t seen any local apricots at the farmers market yet, but I did come home from the store with a paper bag of California apricots and the first cherries of the season. This time of year always brings a mix of excitement and pressure. I imagine all the things I want to make — tarts, jam, simple bowls of fruit eaten outside — but often, I run out of time. I feel that familiar urge to do everything before the season passes. Do you feel it too, this gentle anxiety that arrives with the first stone fruit?

This tart — a tarte fine — is as simple as it is elegant. It’s the kind of pastry that doesn’t ask for much: no tart pan, no thick frills of dough. Just a round of puff pastry, crisp and golden, supporting thin slices of fruit, arranged like petals. It's as much about the delicate and crispy crust as it is about the fruit — unlike a galette, which tends to lean into its juiciness, almost like a baked compote.

For this tart, I used the Rough Puff Pastry recipe from Bakes Simple, but you can use the Puff Pastry from Cannelle et Vanille or any other pastry you like. What matters most is that the pastry bakes up crisp and flaky. A good trick for a well-caramelized bottom crust is to sprinkle a little sugar directly onto the parchment paper before placing the tart on top. Bake it at a high temperature on a lower oven rack to encourage browning from below.

You can use many kinds of fruit for this — apples, pears, peaches, plums. I used apricots this time, slicing them very thinly with a sharp paring knife. I tossed them with a bit of sugar (adjust to taste, depending on how ripe they are) and a pinch of ground cinnamon and ginger. The spices are optional; I kept them minimal to let the fruit's natural flavor come through. It's a simple recipe, easy to adapt, and a good way to make the most of whatever fruit is in season.

I hope you will give it a try.

Love to all,

Aran

Apricot Tarte Fine

You can use any puff pastry recipe you like for this. You could potentially use pie dough, but it will not be as light and as flaky as puff dough. You can halve the sugar for the filling if your fruit is naturally very ripe and sweet.

Makes one tart

6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar, divided

6 to 7 (1 pound or 450g) apricots, pitted and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 recipe Rough Puff Pastry

Tapioca starch, for rolling

1/4 cup (25 g) almond flour

1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter or vegan butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

Apricot jam, for glazing (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place oven rack in lower third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle the center of the paper (about a 10 inch circumference) with 2 tablespoons (25 g sugar).

2. Toss the sliced apricots, remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl. Let the apricots macerate in the sugar for 15 minutes or until the sugar lightly dissolves in the apricot juices. Note that we don’t want the fruit to be too juicy so if your fruit is ripe, you can use less sugar in the filling.

3. Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with tapioca starch. Roll your dough into a disk that is approximately 10 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. It’s ok if it’s not a perfect circle. Your edges might crack slightly as you are rolling and that is ok too. Pinch together.

4. Transfer the pastry to your prepared pan and place over the sugar. Sprinkle the top with almond flour leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Arrange the sliced apricots over the almond flour creating a circular pattern where the fruit overlaps. Pour over any apricot juices that remain in the bowl. Lightly crimp the edges of the pastry. Dot the butter all over the top of the fruit. Brush the edges of the pastry with the lightly beaten egg.

5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apricots are caramelized around some edges. Warm the apricot jam for a few seconds and brush all over the top once the tart comes out of the oven. This will give it shiny and extra sweetness. Sprinkle chopped pistachios around the edges. Serve while warm or at room temperature.

FAVORITES

(affiliate links)

Superfine brown rice flour

Superfine sorghum flour

Light buckwheat flour

Sweet white rice flour

Bread-scoring lame (10% off for readers)

Bannetone (proofing baskets)

PRE-ORDER THE ART OF GLUTEN-FREE BREAD