Apricot Frangipane Tart

by Heather Harris-Brady

We had an apricot tree on our farm, at the end of the strawberry bed. My grandpa put it in because he loved apricots but it always seemed finicky. Some years it didn’t have any, and the years it did they usually small or they had little brown freckles on them. However, if you’re lucky enough to be close to fresh apricots then you know how amazing they smell. Plus, the blossoms are gorgeous. Every year when I see them come into the stores I remember my grandpa, so I always buy some.

This time I turned them into a roasted apricot-frangipane tart. Mine were under-ripe, so I stored them for a few days in a brown paper bag. Then I roasted them to amp up the flavor, but you could also poach them.

Apricot-Frangipane Tart, Makes one 9″ tart

One dozen fresh apricots
½ recipe Aunt Linda’s Never Fail Pie Crust

Two cups milk
3 T. cream cheese, softened
½ c. almond flour
1/3 c. regular flour
1/3 c, brown or white sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract

Preheat the oven to 425, wash and halve the apricots, removing the stone. Lay them upside down on a lightly greased cookie sheet and roast for two-three minutes.

Turn them all over and roast for another two-three minutes, or until the edges start to darken slightly and soften. Remove and let cool.

If you have a tart pan with a removable rim now’s the time to use it. If you don’t, just line the shallowest pie dish you have with the crust. Poke the pie shell all over with a fork, weight it and bake for about 10 minutes – or until it is set but not brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Mix the frangipane: combine the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extract and beat until smooth. Combine the almond flour and regular flour, whisk into the egg mixture. Lastly, whisk in the milk.

Sprinkle the pie shell with almond flour, press it in lightly. Pour in the frangipane, stopping about ¼” from the top. (You might have some frangipane leftover, depending on the depth of your dish. If you do, just pour it into lightly greased custard cups or ramekins and bake it separately. Top with a roasted apricot to serve.)

Float the apricots on top, rounded side down.

Reduce the oven to 375 and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set. It will puff up and then fall as it cools. Cool and store leftovers in the refrigerator.