Orange & Apricot Frangipane Tart - specially made for sharing

On Saturday 24th October I spent 2 wonderful hours meeting GBBO fans at Booths Supermarkets newly opened flagship store at St Annes FY8 3UT -  and what a superb store.   My family has been shopping at Booths since the early 1960's and I have vivid memories of visits to their Fishergate store with its signature aroma of freshly ground coffee. It was the place for special purchases: a whole leg of cured ham at Christmas and fresh yeast for my baking classes at school.  Now I rely on their good quality ingredients for all my bakes!

As promised here is the recipe for the delicious frangipane tart that I made to share on Saturday. I originally made this tart for my sister in law Viv & her husband Chris.  It was an instant hit with Chris in particular. I have made it several times and I have noticed that men like it al lot - which was the case on Saturday too.

As a generalisation men tend to have less of a sweet tooth than women, but this tart seems to strike the right balance for them.  The apricots are not as sweet as tinned peaches and the slightly sweetened pastry (pate brisee) is not as rich as a pate sable or a pate sucree.

Try it and let me know what the men in your life make of it.

Hints, tips and Dorret's notes.

• For those of you who like to know where you are going before you get there, this dessert is a pastry case filled with a little bit of apricot jam, a classic frangipane cream with a hint of orange, topped with pieces of apricot and decorated with a drizzle of white chocolate. The fruit is not baked into the tart.
• I will take it as a given that you know the better the quality of the ingredients you choose the better the result.  I always use good quality French butter and free range eggs. If you have friends with hens they usually have an abundance of eggs.  If you don't have such friends, now would be a good time to make some ; )
• The quantity shown will make one large tart (25cm) or 8 individual tarts (9cm) 
• The frangipane cream can be made in advance and kept in the fridge (in a sealed container) until ready to use
• I usually plan my bakes so that all pastry work is done before I switch on my oven so that I am working in a cool kitchen.  It takes a little bit more planning, e.g. make the pastry the day before, and can extend the timings but it is worth it for the result.
• Roll the pastry between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper so that you don't need to add extra flour.
• Don't throw away the greaseproof paper used for blind baking.   Store carefully and re-use next time you make pastry.
• I will assume that you are using an electric mixer as I seem to be the only person in the world who was still doing my creaming by hand or with a hand held mixer! I now have a brilliant SAGE mixer.
• One of the key ingredients inherent in all my baking is PATIENCE.  Do not be in a hurry to get to the end result.  Focus on doing each stage correctly and watch your bakes flourish!



Apricot Frangipane made for sharing at Booths Store.

INGREDIENTS:

For the pastry
200g of flour
120g butter
20g caster sugar
4g salt
16g free range egg yolk
32ml water

small quantity of egg white

For the Frangipane Cream
125g Butter
125g caster sugar
125g ground almonds
2 whole free range eggs
zest of 2 medium oranges
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain flour

Finishing touches

8 teaspoons of apricot Jam

3 cans of apricots

tablespoons arrowroot

lemon juice

50g melted tempered white chocolate

small piping bag

Additional Equipment
A circle of greaseproof paper to line the bottom of the case
Greaseproof paper and baking beans (or rice) to blind bake the pastry.


Make the pastry.

1. Weigh the sugar, salt and sieved flour into a bowl. 
2. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture.
3. Rub the butter into the flour mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add the egg yolk and mix with a knife.  Add the water a drop at a time mixing with the knife until the mixture will come together in a dough.
5. Use one hand to squeeze the mixture to a dough.  
6. Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Prep the baking cases. Grease and line the base of the tart cases with a circle of greaseproof paper.
8. Take the chilled pastry and roll out in a circle that will fit the tart case. If making individual, divide the pastry into 8 pieces and roll each piece individually.
9. Line the tart case with pastry. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork.  Place the case/s on a baking tray and replace in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
10. Note. the pastry can be trimmed before.  If chilled and using good quality butter there will be minimal shrinkage.
11. Switch on oven a heat to 180oC.
12. Place the greaseproof paper on the pastry and weigh down with beans or rice

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and   remove the paper and the beans. 
Allow the pastry to cool slight.  Brush with egg white and then bake uncovered for 5 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160oC

Make the Frangipane Cream

1. Weigh the butter into a mixer bowl and start beating with beater attachment.
2. After a couple of minutes when the butter is softened, add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy and almost white (about 15 minutes with a good mixer).
3. Add the vanilla
4. Lightly beat the eggs. 
5. Reduce the mixer speed and add the eggs a little at a time making sure each addition is fully incorporated and the texture of the mixture is still white and fluffy and creamy.
6. Remove bowl from mixer.  Tip in the almonds and the tablespoon of flour and the zest of orange.  Fold in with a rubber spatula taking care not to knock out all of the air.
7. Cover the base of the tart with apricot jam.
8. Spoon the frangipane cream on top into the case/s fill to about 5mm from top.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes (small)/50 minutes (large) until firm to touch and golden brown.

Finishing

1. Strain the apricot halves and reserve the juice. Cut each apricot in half.
2. When the tarts are cool arrange the apricot halves starting at the outer edge and completing circles until all of the tart is covered.
3. Make a glaze using arrowroot  following the instructions on the packet using 100ml of the juice from the tinned apricots in place of water, Add the juice of half a lemon and 25g of sugar.
4. Cool the glaze and brush the glaze over the apricots.
5. Drizzle white chocolate over the apricots.