Brussels Challenge #1: Apricot Tart

Brussels Challenge #1:  Apricot Tart

Apricots from Gare du Midi Market are the challenge ingredient of the week!  These bright, small, and tart stone fruits are perfect for a tart with a warm, buttery crust, and dollop of cream (ice cream or whip cream).  The wonderful people at EUFIC, my new place of work, have agreed to be the challenge taste-testers!

Another interesting challenge here in Brussels…no measuring cups or spoons!  In Europe most people have scales and recipe ingredient amounts are given in grams…hmmm…let’s test my ability to estimate…

Ingredients:

For the pastry (you could also use the galette dough for the pastry click here):

*1 1/4 (175 grams) cups all-purpose flour

*1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

*1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

*1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

*1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

For the apricot filling:

*~10 -14 apricots

*1/3 cup sugar (I did half brown sugar and half granulated sugar), plus 1 Tbs. to sprinkle on top

*1 tsp. lemon zest

*1 Tbs. lemon juice

*1/4 cup golden raisins

Directions:

1.  (You can use measuring spoons/cups and a food processor if you have them…or join me in testing your estimation skills J).  Combine flour, salt, and sugar until combined. Cut in the cold butter and mix until it resembles coarse meal (use your fingertips).  Add about 1/8 cup cold water slowly until the pastry just holds together.  Add remain water if needed.  Careful not to over-mix.

2.  Turn the pastry out on a work surface and form into a ball.  Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. 

3.  Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured board in a circle, about 13 inches (32cm) in diameters.  Make sure to turn the dough as you roll so it does not stick.  (If you lack a rolling pin…a wine bottle works great!). 

4.  Place on a tray lined with parchment paper (or buttered if you don’t have parchment paper).  Prepare the filling.

5.  Wash the apricots and cut them in slices (the pit is easily removed and do not worry about peeling). 

6.  In a bowl, mix apricots, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and apricots.  Let them sit for about10 minutes (this is called macerating the fruit – it allows the juices to come out and a syrup to develop). 

7.  Arrange the filling around the dough leaving about a 1-inch border.  Fold over the sides of the dough around the fruit.  Sprinkle the top with sugar. 

9.  In an oven preheated to 400 degrees, bake the tart for about 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. 

10.  Serve warm or room temperature (best warm) and top with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream! Mmm…. Bon Appetite!

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