Quite possibly one of my favourite desserts ever, this almond cream tart is just divine! It's extremely versatile and can be varied with many different types of fruit. The traditional version of this tart, called a Tarte Bourdaloue is made with poached pears. A classic and simple French dessert, but simple doesn't mean boring! It starts with a sweet tart dough, almost like a shortbread cookie, a rich and tasty baked almond filling and delicious fruit to round it all out. This version is made with apricots and blackberries, but it's also delicious with peaches, nectarines, cherries, rhubarb, blueberries, strawberries, you name it! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Apricot and Blackberry Almond Cream Tart
Yields one 8" tart or one 4"x14" tart
Ingredients
For pâte sucrée:
1 stick (125g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (75g) packed icing sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp (250g) all-purpose flour
(1-2 tbsp ice water, if needed)
For almond cream filling:
100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, soft
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
100 g (1 cup) ground almonds
40 g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp almond extract
About 1 cup sliced apricots and blackberries, or fruit of your choice
Procedure
For pâte sucrée:
Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed with the paddle attachment in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour and mix only until just blended. This should be done fairly quickly so the flour becomes well incorporated and doesn't leave any dry bits. Do not overwork the dough otherwise the gluten will develop and result in a chewy pastry. If you see that the dough is not sticking together, add a little bit of ice cold water or heavy cream to help. However, be aware that it's always easier to add more liquid at the beginning and then add more flour, then adding the liquid at the end because it may not incorporate well and just become sticky.
Form a ball (or separate in half), wrap in plastic film (or a reusable beeswax wrap!) and refrigerate at least two hours (or up to 2 days) before rolling out. When ready to use, leave on counter about 10 minutes to soften. If well wrapped, can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.
While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 F and make the almond cream.
For almond cream: In a small bowl mix the ground almonds and flour. In a mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the almond mixture and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and almond extract one at a time slowly to emulsify. Beat until well blended and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready, roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface to about a 1/4" thickness and place in an 8" tart pan, or a 4" x 14" rectangular fluted tart pan. Make sure everything is pushed down well into the corners. Prick all over with a fork (even up the sides) to ensure the steam escapes so that the dough doesn't puff up while baking. Try to work quickly so the dough does not become too warm and risk melting the butter. Refrigerate another 20 minutes to allow the butter to chill.
Spread almond cream evenly in the prepared tart shell. Cut apricots lengthwise and arrange the slices to your heart's desire and dot with some blackberries. Just make sure each slice gets a good amount of fruit! Bake about 40-45 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The tart shell should be opaque and a light golden colour, not too dark otherwise the crust will be too hard. Leave to cool until ready to serve and dust with some icing sugar (optional). Perfect with afternoon tea!
Comentarii