Apricot And Cherry Tart With Marzipan Topping Recipes

Steps:

• First, make the marzipan. Mix both sugars with the ground almonds and vanilla in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Reserve 1 tsp of the beaten egg in a small dish, then tip the rest into the well along with the lemon juice. Mix everything well, then mix in the cream, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture is spreadable (you may not need all the cream). Chill for 20 mins if it's too warm to spread properly, or greasy. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, then score it lightly around the edges to create a 1.5cm border - be careful not to cut all the way through. Lightly score a diamond pattern over the middle to keep the pastry from rising in the centre during cooking.
• Spread the marzipan over the middle of the pastry, leaving the border clear (see tip, below). Top with the apricots, cut-side down. Brush the border with the reserved beaten egg, then bake for 15 mins. Scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 5-10 mins more until the almonds are golden and the pastry has cooked through.
• Warm the jam over a low heat, then brush it over the apricots. Cut into squares and serve warm with ice cream or cream. Will keep chilled for up to two days.

Steps:

• The night before, put apricots and orange juice in a bowl and set aside.
• To make the dough, put flour, 1 tsp salt, butter, milk, yeast and egg in a bowl, and mix together to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 mins.
• Transfer dough to a mixing bowl. Cover, then set aside to rise in a warm place for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, drain the apricots. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and muscovado sugar until fluffy. Mix in the apricots, flour, raisins, walnuts and orange zest.
• Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a rectangle, about 25 x 33cm. Evenly spread over the apricot mix, then roll out the marzipan and lay it on top. Roll up the rectangle tightly so it looks like a Swiss roll. Roll slightly, then cut lengthways along the roll, leaving 1 end joined. Twist 2 lengths together, then shape into a ring on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Set aside to rise for 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the twist for 30 mins until risen and dark golden. Towards the end of the baking time, gently warm the apricot jam in a small pan. Brush the freshly baked loaf with the warm jam to glaze it, then set it aside to cool. Once cooled, drizzle the twist heavily with the runny icing.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Unroll the pastry on to a lightly dampened baking sheet (this creates steam which helps puff up the pastry), then sprinkle over the ground almonds. Lay the apricot halves over the top, nestling them closely together, right up to the edge of the pastry.
• Dust with the icing sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until the sugar starts to caramelise a little. If you like, drizzle with maple syrup and serve hot, warm or cold. If you really want to indulge, serve with a spoonful of clotted cream or a pouring of single cream.

Steps:

• To make the dough, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the 1 cup (140 g) flour, 1/2 cup (40 g) sliced almonds, 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, and the salt until the nuts are finely ground. Add the chilled butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and process until the dough comes together.
• Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. (There's no need to wash the bowl of the food processor-you'll need it again to make the filling.) Using your hands, press the dough as evenly as possible into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the dough-lined tart pan until the dough is firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Set the tart pan on a baking sheet and prick the dough about a dozen times with a fork. Bake the tart shell on the baking sheet until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. If it puffs up during baking, press it down with the back of a metal spatula. Let cool while making the filling. Decrease the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
• To make the filling, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the 1/2 cup (70 g) flour, brown sugar, almond paste, and 1/4 cup (20 g) sliced almonds until the almond paste is broken into fine pieces. Add the 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) chilled butter and pulse until the butter pieces are about the size of corn kernels. Set aside.
• Halve, pit, and cut the apricots into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices. In a large bowl, toss the apricots with the cornstarch and 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar. Distribute the apricot slices in the tart shell and sprinkle them evenly with the almond mixture. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Serve the tart warm or at room temperature.
• Variations
• For RASPBERRY, APRICOT, AND MARZIPAN TART, add 1 cup (5 ounces/135 g) raspberries to the apricots. To make PLUM-MARZIPAN TART, substitute plums for the apricots and increase the cornstarch to 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon.

Steps:

• Crust:Pulse flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water evenly. Pulse until dough holds together when pressed between 2 fingers (it should not be wet or sticky). If too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue pulsing. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour; or freeze up to 3 months.
• Filling:In a large bowl, combine apricots, cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out dough to a 15-inch circle. Transfer to a 10-inch pie dish; pour filling into crust. Fold edges of crust over filling, overlapping as necessary. Brush edges of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and bottom. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack. Bake on middle rack until pastry is golden and juices are bubbling in center, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. (If crust is browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 2 hours before serving. Pie can be stored at room temperature up to 1 day.