This week's French Garden recipe

People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.

05/23/2013

Apricot-pistachio meringue tart (Tarte aux abricots en meringue pistachée)

  Clay pot 

Ingredients:

I use an extra-short pastry for this tart to ensure that the crust remains crisp and flaky under the heavy load of juicy ingredients.  A clay tart dish also helps achieve this effect (Non-sogginess, that is).  So for one tart crust:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

11 1/2 T. Unsalted butter

generous pinch salt

approximately 1/4 c. Ice water

For the tart:

2 lbs. ripe apricots

1/3 c. + 1/4 c. sugar (you may increase the 1/3 cup for the meringue to 1/2 cup for a sweeter tart if you like.)

1/3 c. Unsalted pistachio puree or butter (Available from specialty food houses) OR 2/3 c. very fresh pistachios, skins removed (available from Iranian food shops)

3 eggwhites at room temperature +a pinch salt

1/4 cup slivered or chopped pistachios +2-3 T. more for sprinkling on top of the tart (beautiful slivered pistachios are available from Iranian food shops)

Optional powdered sugar for dusting

 

 

 

Begin at least 4 hours before serving.  The pastry can be made the day before.

dump the flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix in the salt.  Cut the butter into small chunks and drop it into the flour.  Using a D-shaped wire piecrust tool, cut the butter i to the flour until the average size of the butter particles is that of a large pea.  Sprinkle in 2-3 tablespoons of icewater, using the back of a table fork to rapidly toss and mash the water into the flour-butter mixture.  Continue adding water if necessary until the dough shows signs of coming together.  This dough should require less water than usual because of the excessive amount of butter.  Gather it into a ball as lightly as possible (you don't want the heat from your hands to affect the butter.). Don't worry about stray particles in the bowl.  Flatten it into a thick disk and wrap in plastic film.  Sprinkle any stray dough particles onto the disk and press them into the dough through the plastic film.  You can also consolidayte the pastry disk through the film.  Then put it into the coldest part of your fridge if you're in a hurry for at least 1 hour.  Or, if you're not, put it anywhere in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

roll and form the pastry in your usual way to fit a pan or dish at least 10 inches wide.  Refrigerate at least two hours or put it in the freezer if you're rushed.  Remember, a clay tart dish gives the most fantastic crust results.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Cut the apricots in half, then use a twisting motion to separate the two halves from the pit.  Cut the halves in half again to yield fourths.  Leave a few of the apricots uncut as you can't be sure if you'll need all of them to cover the tart.

Stir up the pistachio butter if using to incorporate the oil.  Put  it in the food processor and spin it briefly with a couple of tablespoons of the 1/4 cup sugar.  If using blanched pistachios, grind them finely in the food processor with the 2 tablespoons sugar.

Beat the eggwhites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.  Slowly beat in the 1/3 cup sugar until stiff and glossy.  In a medium bowl, mix a dollop of the whites into the pistachio butter or ground pistachios.  Then fold this mixture into the remaining meringue until well incorporated but without deflating.  Halfway through the folding, add the 1/4 cup slivered or chopped pistachios.  

Slather this mixture all over the bottom of the chilled tart shell, making sure it touches the sides of the crust.  (This meringue, besides being delicious, functions to prevent the apricots' juice from reaching the crust and making it soggy.). Beginning at the periphery, arrange the apricot quarters side by side, cut side up, in concentric circles, covering the tart.  Sprinkle with the remaining slivered or chopped pistachios and granulated sugar.

place the tart in the middle of the oven and bake about 1 hour, until the crust's edges are a deep golden brown and some of the apricot points are blackish (highly desirable).  This tart is at its optimum served 1-2 hours after coming out of the oven. (however, any leftovers are not to be sneered at the next day.). It may me dusted with powdered sugar when thoroughly cool if desired.

Note:  this tart is divine, with the sweet, chewy-crunchy pistachio meringue contrasting with the tart and juicy apricots.  The crust should be so crisp and flaky as to lift its burden of filling effortlessly from the pan when you serve.  Andi, this one's for you.

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Try some of our past French garden recipes:

Appetizers and small dishes

Basics

Beef, pork, lamb, and veal