Apricot Tart

When our market had some richly coloured apricots, small but just perfect in flavour, this tart was the obvious choice for a family dessert. The quality of the ingredients matter so much. How many times did I, as a novice cook and a hard up one to boot, try to produce deliciousness with sad or inadequate ingredients. The worst ever example was lemon chicken with only a plastic lemon for juice and tinned cream, both things long since gone, I hope anyway.

So if you have perfect fruit (and have eaten lots of it raw), this easy way to produce a huge pastry is a winner and will delight..

Apricot Almond Tart  - for 6 portions at least if not lots more

I packet all butter puff pastry
A generous pound or half kilo of ripe apricots
One quantity of Frangipan:

100g butter
100g sugar
100g ground almonds
2 eggs

This quantity can easily be halved or used to make 2 tarts about 11 ins by 7. The frangipan mixture can be frozen and used in other combinations, with cherries for instance. If you use the full amount it makes one large tart to fit a baking sheet.

1. Lay the pastry out on your tin, trim as necessary to fit, then roll the edges over,a half inch or so, not much more, all the way round..
2. Make the frangipan by creaming the butter and sugar, beating in the eggs and then folding the almonds in. This is quick in a processor or mixer but easy anyway if the butter is soft.
3. Spread the mixture over the pastry right up to the folded edges.
4. Now place your halved apricots, cut side up in an evenly spaced pattern. Make sure you have enough to cover the tin.
5. With a little sieve, if you have one, put a sprinkle of icing sugar on each half. (A small sieve is very useful for icing sugar).
6. Cook at No 6/200 for 25-30 mins turning the heat down if it looks too brown. Take put once the frangipan is risen, golden and just firm.

Eat hot, cold or warm, with cream, yoghurt or just as it is, for dessert, tea or breakfast!