Lightly sweetened apricots are baked quickly in a simple short-bread crust for these rustic tarts, which are garnished with vibrant green pistachios and fleur de sel. Other stone fruits, like plums and peaches, will work just as well. This recipe first appeared in our December 2012 issue along with Georgia Freedman's story California Eternal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1⁄4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 tsp. almond extract
- 6 medium apricots, halved, pitted, and cut into 8 wedges each
- Finely chopped pistachios, to garnish
- Fleur de sel, to taste (optional)
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Instructions
Step 1
Heat oven to 350°. Whisk together four, ¼ tsp. salt, and baking powder in a bowl; set aside. Combine ½ cup sugar, butter, and 1 tsp. vanilla in a bowl, and beat on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add dry ingredients and 3 tbsp. ice-cold water, and beat until just combined; transfer dough to a work surface, and form into a ball. Halve dough, and press each half into the bottom and sides of an 8" tart pan with removable bottom; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick bottom of dough with a fork; cover bottom with a sheet of parchment paper; fill with dried beans. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake until crust is light brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Combine remaining salt, sugar, and vanilla along with almond extract and apricots in a bowl, and toss until evenly combined. Decoratively arrange apricot wedges in each tart shell, and pour any juices left in bowl over tarts; bake until crust is golden brown and apricots are slightly caramelized, about 1 hour. Let cool completely, and then sprinkle with pistachios and fleur de sel, if you like.
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