Alicia Pepperpot Pine Tart Recipes

ALMOND-PEAR TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse almonds, sugar, flour, and salt until finely ground. Add egg, vanilla, and nutmeg and process until combined.
• Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, lightly brush with butter, and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon sugar. (Keep extra phyllo covered while you work.) Stack remaining 5 sheets phyllo on top, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with sugar (omit sugar on last layer). Trim stack into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Spread almond mixture evenly on stack, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange pears on top, overlapping slightly.
• Bake until edges are golden and fruit is tender, about 18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let tart cool slightly on sheet on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PINEAPPLE TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all-purpose, self-rising flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour in 1 beaten egg and water. Bind the ingredients together gently. Do not knead too much. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut 24 rounds, using a 2 inch round fluted cutter. Place on cookie sheet. Put a spoonful of pineapple jam in the center of each piece. Decorate with criss-cross strips of pastry over jam, extending slightly onto pastry shell.
• Cut 24 more 2 inch rounds, then, using a smaller cutter, cut out the centers, creating a ring shape. Moisten the edges of each pastry, and place the rings on top of each pastry shell. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

VERLET'S APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Set aside.
• Make the pastry:
• In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and the sugar, and using a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to form a soft, cookie-like dough. Transfer the dough to the center of the buttered pan. Using the tips of your fingers, evenly press the pastry along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. The pastry will be quite thin.
• Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake unitl the dough is slightly puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the ground almonds over the bottom of the crust. (This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.)
• Meanwhile make the filling:
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the crème fraîche, egg, extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour.
• Pour the filling evenly over the pastry. Starting just inside the edge of the pan, neatly overlap the halved apricots, cut side up, at an angle. Arrange in two or three concentric circles, working toward the center. Fill in the center with the remaining apricots.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the filling is firm and the pastry is a deep golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. The apricots will shrivel slightly. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Place the tart on a rack to cool. Sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.