Flaky Tart Dough For Apricot Tart Recipes

HOMEMADE APRICOT TARTS

Steps:

• Add chopped dried apricots and enough water to come 1 inch above apricots in a saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until thickened.
• Stir in sugar, butter, nutmeg (optional), cinnamon and orange juice. Cook a bit longer, until texture is like jam.
• Stir, cool and store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Add cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Using the beater blade, combine ingredients on medium-high speed until well blended. Add vanilla, if using, and mix until incorporated. Turn mixer off, add flour and mix on low speed just until combined and a ball of dough forms. The dough should be thick.
• Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Form dough into walnut size balls and place into a mini muffin or tart pan. Using a tart tamper dusted with flour, press down on each ball to form the tart shape.
• Fill each tart with a rounded teaspoon of filling (homemade or store-bought apricot jam). Bake for 10 minutes or until very lightly golden. Remove pan from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
• When completely cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container or freeze in freezer containers until ready to serve. Allow tarts to come to room temperature before serving for best texture.

FRANK AND JEROME'S APRICOT TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch round 3/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Prick the bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights, and continue to bake until bottom is dry. Remove from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack.
• Spread apple butter evenly over tart shell. Arrange apricots over the apple butter in an overlapping circular pattern. Holding your hand 6 inches above tart, sprinkle sugar evenly over apricots.
• Bake until apricots are dark golden brown, and even darker around the edges, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool briefly on a wire rack.
• To remove tart from pan, rest it on a large can. Make sure tart is steady and balanced. Slide outside ring of pan down off tart. Then, place tart on work surface. Slide tart off pan bottom, and onto a rimless serving dish or a cutting board.
• Use a pastry brush or a scrunched-up paper towel to coat apricots with glaze. Serve at room temperature or warm.

FLAKY TART DOUGH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together salt and water. Keep very cold until ready to use.
• Place flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly until mixture forms large crumbs. Add the salt water mixture and continue pulsing until a dough has just formed but is not smooth.
• On a lightly floured work surface, evenly divide dough. Form each piece of dough into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours and up to overnight.