apricot frangipane tart

I am so excited for the arrival of summer and fresh local fruits and veggies. Farmers markets come a bit later to New England, due to the cold weather that often stretches into May. But finally the farmers markets are up and running, with things like these beautiful local strawberries.



(I really wish Smell-o-vision existed and you could smell these. They remind me of summer, and picking strawberries as a kid and ending up with dirty knees and berry-stained fingers).

Because these are too good to do anything but eat, straight out of their little pint container, I went to my produce man and bought these today:



And decided to make a tart with them. But what kind of tart? Oh, the choices. First, I thought about a crostata. Rustic, satisfying, nothing but luscious fruit. But no, I wanted something with a bit more structure. And I remembered (or so I thought) the Barefoot Contessa making some kind of almond apricot tart. Yet try as I might - looking in cookbooks AND online - I could not find such a recipe from my idol Ina. So I turned to epicurious.com, where I found a passable recipe, but no, still not quite right. On to foodtv.com where I found this, which I co-opted. But what about the crust, you ask? This time, I flipped open Mark Bittman's always reliable How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for his delicious sweet tart crust. And as this blind-baked, my kitchen filled with the most wonderful buttery-rich smells that I was tempted to forget the apricots and the frangipane and eat the crust on its own. But I refrained, and ended up with one of the most delightful, satisfying desserts I have ever made. The slight sweetness of the cookie-like crust pair perfectly with the almondy filling and the nice, tart apricots. I think the frangipane would also work nicely with raspberries, if you wanted to mix things up a bit!



Sweet Tart Crust
from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

makes enough for one 8- to 10- inch tart

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
10 tbsp frozen or cold butter, cut into chunks
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp ice water, plus more if necessary

1. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice. (note: you could do this by hand, of course. The food processor just makes things infinitely easier and speeds up the process!) Add the butter all at once; process until mixture is uniform, about 10 seconds (do not overprocess). Add the egg and process for another few seconds.

2. Put the mixture in a bowl and add the ice water; mix with your hands until the dough forms into a ball, adding another tablespoon or two if necessary (if you overdo it and the mixture is too wet, add a bit more flour). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle a countertop with flour and put the dough on it; sprinkle the top of the dough with a little flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle, to a diameter about 2 inches larger than that of your tart pan. Move the dough into the tart pan by draping it over the rolling pin and moving into the pan. Press the dough into the nooks and crannies of your tart pan, being careful not to overwork it. Use a knife to trim any excess dough at the rim of the pan. Refrigerate for about an hour before filling.

4. For this recipe, you will blind-bake the tart. What this means is baking an empty tart shell. First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure your crust is pressed firmly into the tart pan, and throughly pricked with a fork. This will help the crust retain its safe and will help prevent bubbling. Butter one side a piece of foil large enough to cover the crust; press the foil onto the crust, butter side down. Weight the foil with a pile of dried beans or rice. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool before filling.



Frangipane Filling
from Gale Gand

1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. To make the frangipane, place the almonds and the sugar in a food processor and grind until sandy. Add the butter and continue mixing then add the egg, vanilla, and the flour and mix until smooth.

3. Spread the almond frangipane in the prebaked tart shell (see above). Firmly place the apricot halves into the frangipane spacing them evenly around the tart. Dot the spaces between the apricots with the whole almonds.

4. Bake until golden brown on the top and puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

citrus tart

Nothing reminds me more of the fresh possibilities off spring than a nice, simple citrus tart. Which is odd, as lemons and oranges are a winter crop. Nonetheless, when New England is reluctant, as always, to loosen its wintry grasp, I dream of fresh peas, skinny local asparagus and citrus. Lemons and oranges are just so bright and sunny, sitting in a bowl, awaiting their culinary fate. In this case, their destiny was this deceptively easy tart my mom and I made together for my uncle John's birthday. I know, I know. Tarts do not exactly scream birthday. But sometimes it's nice to steer away from tradition and try something new. This would make a lovely addition to any spring table, and would fit right in with your Easter meal (given the dairy, I'm not sure it is Passover-appropriate).

Oh - and for dinner we made this - so while prepping, you can zest all of your citrus at once!



Citrus Tart
from Not Afraid of Flavor: Recipes from the Magnolia Grill by Ben and Karen Barker

For tart shell

1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For filling

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated (with a rasp) fresh orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated (with a rasp) fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream

Make tart shell:
Lightly beat yolk with milk in a small bowl (reserve white for egg wash).

Pulse together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add yolk mixture and pulse just until dough begins to gather into a ball. Press dough into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out, about 20 minutes.

Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 12-inch round. Discard top sheet and invert dough into 9-inch round fluted tart pan (discard remaining plastic wrap). Fit dough into pan, pushing edge of dough to 1/8 inch above rim. Trim dough and save scraps to repair any cracks in partially baked shell.

Freeze shell until firm, about 10 minutes.

Line shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights.

Bake until edge is golden and bottom is set, about 20 minutes, then carefully remove pie weights and parchment (or foil; gently prick any bubbles with a fork to release air) and bake until bottom is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Quickly repair any cracks in shell with scraps, then immediately brush hot pastry all over with some egg white. Leave oven on.

Make filling and bake tart:
Whisk together all filling ingredients until combined well. Put tart shell (in tart pan) on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Carefully pour filling into shell and put a pie shield or foil strips over rim of pastry to prevent burning.

Bake tart until filling is barely set but trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 45 minutes. (Filling will continue to set as it cools.)

* we served the tart with blackberries (not so seasonal, but still tasty!) and freshly whipped cream.

- e

mixed vegetable tart

Did you spend all day yesterday cooking for other people and not have a chance to eat anything? Only to wake up today and realize that you a) have nothing to eat and b) lack the will to make anything requiring more than an ounce of effort? Do you happen to have puff pastry and a random assortment of vegetables and cheeses in your fridge? If you answered yes to any or all of the above, this tart is the only thing between you and bad chinese take-out. Go gather your ingredients and make it. You won't be sorry, I promise. AND, you will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. How could you say no!



As with most fridge clearing recipes, this is not the time for exact measurements. But here is how I assembled my flaky vegetable tart

1. Roll out your prepared puff pastry into a nice rectangle, fold the edges in about an inch and crimp with a fork.

2. Make a mixture of creme fraiche and grainy mustard (again, if you have it). I'd say about 1/4 cup creme fraiche and a tablespoon or so of mustard.

3. Finely slice and onion, and caramelize over medium heat. Throw in some thinly sliced zucchini and red bell peppers, maybe some mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with fresh thyme, and saute until vegetables are soft but not mushy.

4. Smear the creme fraiche mixture on the puff pastry, staying inside the lines. Top with vegetables. Grate some gruyere over top (or maybe some parmesan, or any other cheese you might have).

5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Sprinkle with a chiffonade of basil. Cut in quarters and serve.

- e