Apricot Almond Bakewell Recipes

APRICOT AND ALMOND TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, put the sugar and butter in a bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon (cream) until combined. Sift over the flour and gently mix until incorporated. Stir in the egg, then lightly bring together with your hands. Tip onto a work surface, then lightly knead a few times to make a smooth dough. Divide in half, wrap each piece well in cling film, then leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Gently knead one piece of pastry to make it more pliable, then gently shape into a ball and squash down slightly on an unfloured surface. Gently roll the pastry with a rolling pin as quickly as possible, repeatedly turning it about 45 degrees to keep the circle shape.
• When you feel the pastry softening slightly, add a little flour to the work surface and the top of the pastry, then keep rolling until you have a rough circle about 6cm wider than your tin and 3mm thick. Trim the edges a little to make an even circle about 3-4cm wider than your tin.
• Carefully roll the pastry up around the rolling pin, then lay it over the tart case and unroll it from the pin with the floured underside facing up and the more buttery side against the metal tin. Press evenly into the base and sides of the tin, folding the excess back over the outside of the tin. Trim the edge slightly so about 5mm of the tin's outside is showing. Bring the trimmings together and use to help press the pastry into the corners and flutes of the tin, then cover with cling film and chill again for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Fill the pastry case with baking paper and ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Put on a baking sheet, cook for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper. Bake for 5 minutes more until sandy to the touch. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the frangipane filling. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with the vanilla, nutmeg and orange zest. Add the ground, whole and flaked almonds and flour, then mix well. Beat in the egg and rum until smooth.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. Fill the tart case with the frangipane mix and use a dessert spoon or spatula to level the top. Top with the apricot halves or quarters and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and slightly springy.
• Once out of the oven, use a small, sharp serrated knife to cut around the edges of the tart to remove the excess overhang and create super-sharp edges.
• Gently warm the apricot jam, brandy and a splash of water in a pan or the microwave and brush all over the tart while still warm, brushing first the frangipane, then the apricots, then the frangipane again. Serve warm in slices, topped with crème fraîche.

APRICOT FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• 1 You will need a 28cm (11in) round, loose-bottomed fluted tart tin, 3-4cm (1¼-1½in) deep. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ Gas 5, and slip a heavy baking sheet inside to heat up. 2 First make the pastry, either by mixing the flour and butter in a food processor or by hand - rubbing the flour and butter together with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix in briefly, then add the egg and ½-1 tablespoon of water. Mix until the dough just holds together. 3 Roll the pastry out on a floured surface as thinly as possible, 1-2mm (1/16in) thick, and use to line the tin, making a small lip around the top. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork. 4 Next make the frangipane filling. Place the butter and sugar in the food processor (no need to wash this out first) and whizz until creamy, blend in the eggs, then mix in the ground almonds and almond extract. Alternatively, beat together with a wooden spoon if making by hand. 5 Arrange the apricot slices over the base of the pastry and spoon the frangipane mixture on top, spreading it evenly to cover the apricots. 6 Sit the tart tin on the hot baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the tart is golden brown. 7 To finish, make a glacé icing by mixing together the icing sugar and apricot juice, adding enough juice to give a pouring consistency and for the icing to hold its shape. Using a spoon, zigzag the icing over the tart and leave to set. 8 Remove the tart from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm or cold. TIPS: Sprinkling extra ground almonds on the cooked pastry base before adding the apricots helps to absorb extra moisture. The apricots need to be as dry as possible to prevent the juice soaking into the pastry. Dry each one individually with kitchen paper. An easy way of removing the tart from the tin is to stand the tart tin on one or two tins or jars; the ring around the tart can then be lowered to your work surface, leaving the tart on the base of the tin. Slide the tart off the base on to a serving plate.

BAKED APRICOTS WITH ALMOND TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Process almonds and brown sugar in a food processor until almonds are finely chopped. Add butter; process until just combined.
• Place apricot halves, cut sides up, in buttered baking dish. Cover top of each apricot half with almond mixture. Bake until apricots are soft and almond mixture is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer 3 apricot halves to each serving plate. Serve warm.

BERRY ALMOND BAKEWELL

Steps:

• Thinly roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface , then use it to line the base and sides of a 25cm non-stick, loose-based tart tin. You can leave a little overhang of pastry, but trim away any noticeable excess. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 mins. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking sheet inside to heat up.
• Line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and cook on the hot sheet for 10 mins - the burst of heat from the baking sheet will help to prevent a soggy bottom. Carefully lift off the paper with the beans and bake for 3 mins more to cook the pastry base. Turn down the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• For the frangipane, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until well mixed (alternatively, blitz in a food processor). Scatter the raspberries into the pastry case, spoon over the almond mixture and smooth the top with a knife. Scatter over the flaked almonds and bake for 30-40 mins until golden and firm. Carefully trim any excess pastry from the edge of the tart with a sharp knife before serving.