Recipe below: Apricot Tart with Almonds and Thyme
Growing up in New York I’ve almost never had a decent apricot. Seems we don’t know how to grow them here. Even in season at farmers’ markets they’re usually sour or, even worse, mealy and tasteless. I asked the people at Migliorelli Farm in Tivoli about this and was told that apricots are “temperamental” and have a “short period of perfect ripeness.” My brother, who lives north of L.A., says the local apricots out there are much better than we get. I was upset to hear that.
Cooking helps immensely. The ones I found recently were pretty sour but also juicy and just so pretty I had to buy them. The ones Migliorelli grows are a deep orange with splotches of pinky red. They smelled good, sort of like apricots should, so I thought heat and sugar would wake them up. And they did.
This tart was inspired by a Patricia Wells recipe I learned about many years ago. The technique is so easy compared with pâte brisée–based tarts. What you do is basically make a cookie dough and press it into a tart pan. You don’t even have to roll it out. And forget about the annoying blind-baking bean-and-aluminum-foil procedure. You just stick it in the oven to firm it up a bit before filling it. Cut the apricots in half (small plums also work well), stick them cut side up in the pan, and pour a cream and egg mix over the top. I flavored my custard with almonds and a drizzle of orzata syrup, which I love and which is less obnoxious than that crappy, ultra strong almond extract, the ruin of so many Italian American pastry shops.
The mix of apricots and almonds can’t be beat, and, as I’ve just discovered, adding fresh thyme brings the whole thing together with a weird hit of savoriness.
You’ll want a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Apricot Tart with Almonds and Thyme
For the crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature, plus a little extra butter to grease the pan
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon orzata syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
The grated zest from 1 small lemon
1½ cups regular flour
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon finely ground almonds
For the custard:
1 heaping tablespoon crème fraîche
½ cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon regular flour
1 tablespoon orzata syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons runny wildflower honey
About 6 sprigs thyme, the leaves lightly chopped, plus of few nice looking sprigs for garnish
Plus:
About 1½ pounds ripe local apricots, pitted and halved (a bit sour is better than mealy), cut in half and pitted
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put all the ingredients for the crust except for the ground almonds in a bowl, and mix them together until you have a crumbly, moist mass. Coat the tart pan with a little butter, and then dump the crust into the center of the pan, pressing it all around until you have a nice, relatively even crust all around. Build the sides up a touch to allow for shrinkage. Poke the bottom lightly with a fork in several places.
Stick the tart pan in the oven until the crust is very lightly golden at the edges and puffs a bit in the center, about 12 minutes or so.
Take the tart pan out of the oven and sprinkle the almonds more or less evenly over the floor of the crust.
Put all the ingredients for the custard in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Arrange the apricots, cut side up, in the tart pan. Pour the custard mix over them, being careful not to get any over the rim.
Bake until the crust is golden and the custard looks set, about 35 minutes. Garnish with the thyme sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Erica De Mane 
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