As I was writing last week’s post, it occurred to me that there are exactly 
ZERO dessert recipes here on Swirling Notions. Shame on me. Seriously. Just because I walk into a patisserie and inevitably walk out with a wedge of quiche doesn’t mean that everyone else shares my savory predilections. And, truth be told, the stone fruits at the farmers’ market this year may just turn me into someone sweet. I’ve taken to eating peaches out on the back stoop, letting the juices just dribble down my arm at will.
So I’m including this simple little recipe as a way to address the savory overload on Swirling Notions while at the same time celebrating my local fruit 
growers with an entry to the Living La Vida Local Cooking Challenge begun by Muffin Love. If you want to join me in participating, be sure to get your entry in by July 15!
{ Apricot Almond Tartlets }
Wrap these delicious little tarts in a square of foil or parchment and cart them off to a picnic with a dab of creme fraiche or whipped cream. Or serve them at home right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Crust
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1/4 cup ice water
Filling
1-1/2 pounds apricots
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
Crust
Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and work in butter with your fingertips until dough begins to come together. Add almond extract, egg, and just enough ice water for the dough to form a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface, and divide dough evenly into six balls. Wrap each in a piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling
Preheat oven to 400. Slice apricots lengthwise down the center and remove the pit. Slice each half thinly crosswise and toss gently with sugar and almond extract.
Assembly
Roll each disk out into a 6 inch circle roughly 1/8-inch thick. Sprinkle 1 rounded tablespoon of almonds on each circle. Spiral apricots from the center of one of the circles out to 1 inch from the edge. Fold the edges up, crimping as you go, so that no juice will escape from the tart as it cooks. Repeat with remaining tartlets. Brush the crusts with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Transfer tartlets to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 minutes, until the edges are golden. Heat jam over low heat and dab over fruit. Slide tartlets onto a cooling rack. Serve either warm or cool.
Serves 6
5 Comments
Yay for desserts! Who could say no to a perfectly ripe apricot? These look delicious
Lia,
Not sure this belongs here (although I’m all for desserts!) but I had to share a wine experience that I had tonight that I think, with some help from you, can benefit readers during a future post.
Here’s what happened: Earlier this evening, my wife and I opened a bottle of 2000 Kunde Bob’s Red Table Wine (I know, I know, 8 years is probably a bit long for a table wine…). Anyway, it was bad.
Here’s where the drama starts… We then opened four more bottles of different wines in succession, each of which smelled “funny.” We asked ourselves, “How is it that grapes ranging from Sangiovese to Cabernet, labels ranging from Coppala to Simi, and years ranging from 2002 to 2004 are all tasting “funny?”
Intent on solving our dilemma (and since you weren’t in our kitchen), I took the five bottles we’d opened to Eldon, the owner of a local restaurant, The Wine Experience. He’s been around wine as a wholesaler and restaurateur for decades and I figured he could shed a little light on the situation.
His conclusion: The 2000 Kunde Bob’s Red Table Wine “got some oxygen along the way” and was, in fact, spoiled. The other wines, interestingly, were fine - if not delicious! His explanation was that our palettes were likely contaminated by the first sip of spoiled wine and this affected the nose and taste of each subsequent wine.
He suggested crackers or, if available, champagne as a means of clearing the palette before tasting a new wine. Okay, I get that but what I was still confused about was how a red wine could smell (and taste) like bell peppers?!
I asked him, “Eldon, this smells like bell peppers. How can it be good?” I was referring to a bottle of 2002 Haras elegance (Maipo Valley, Chile). He pointed out that the wine was complex and the aromas and tastes would change from the initial opening to eventual consumption and suggested decanting.
Lesson learned: 1.) Never open more than one more bottle after opening a bottle that appears to be a bit off. 2.) Cleanse your palette completely before nosing/tasting wine following an experience with one that was spoiled. 3.) Whenever possible, get a second (or third) opinion. I’m sitting here with a great glass of Simi Cabernet (that tastes even better after Eldon’s enthusiastic endorsement!) and 3 more open bottles of great wine downstairs that Julie and I will “have to consume over the next couple of days.”
Lia, wish you were here!
Best,
Steve and Julie
I love little tartlets! They are so cute, that you can’t help but take a bite! Yum!
Lia, re-read your savory descriptions in the previous post (Pairing Primer Part III) and you’ll see why it’s easy to overlook sweets here!
Steve’s experience an interesting one, has that ever happened to you?
The wine I opened for the 4th (Porterhouse steak was centerpiece) was Australian. Rosemount, Shiraz Cabernet, 2005. Very dark color–no light came through! Definitely berry, light on tannins. For some reason I figured deep red = much tannin (which I don’t like). Not expensive, we enjoyed it with the beef.
Mike . . . Thanks!
Steve . . . What a roundup of wines! Good for you for recognizing one was off. See . . . your senses are getting sharper. About the bell pepper–great call. That is actually a fairly common aroma in “greener” wines–not eco-friendly, but ones whose grapes are picked a little less ripe than others may be. I find Merlots in particular to be prone to bell pepper taste, and I remember a particular vintage of Gigondas that we had an entire case of that all I could taste was green pepper. Some people don’t mind the quality, but I’m not the biggest fan of that particular aroma. Have fun with the rest of the wines!
Patsy . . . Isn’t there just something precious about them? Enjoy!
Rosemary . . . I hope that means that my savory descriptions keep you satiated enough that you’re not pining for sweets ;-). I have had experiences like Steve described, where a bad wine lingered and was tough to get past. Nibbling on something in between definitely helps. Shiraz-Cab would be a great pick for a porterhouse, especially if you’re looking for a little lighter body and bolder fruit and a little less tannin. Now I’M craving meat . . .