Creamy Peach & Apricot Tarts

Peach Apricot Tarts

Apricot Curd

1/2 cup pureed ripe apricot

4 egg yolks

1 egg

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

5 TBSP butter

Crust

1 1/4 cup  all-purpose flour

1 tbsp  sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup  butter, chilled (I used Stirling Churn84)

3 to 4 tbsp cold water

For assembling:

1 ripe peach, diced

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 - 2 TBSP icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 Make the apricot curd:

Whisk together all of the curd ingredients except the butter in a medium heat-proof bowl.

Place the bowl over a small pot of gently simmering water and gently whisk or stir until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 7-12 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the cold butter, one piece at a time. Allow the butter to mix in completely before adding the next piece.

Place the bowl back over the simmering water and stir for an additional  minute or two.

Remove from heat. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the apricot curd to prevent a skin from forming.

Place in the fridge to chill overnight before using.

Make the Crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the chilled butter into 1-inch cubes and add them to the bowl. Pulse until the mixture looks crumbly and there are no pieces of butter bigger than a pea. Gradually pulse in the cold water until the mixture still looks crumbly, but holds together when pinched.

Dump the crumbly mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap, cover with another piece of plastic wrap and firmly press into a disk. Place the disk in the fridge and allow to chill for at least 50 minutes (or up to two days).

Preheat the oven to 375F

Once the dough has chilled, place it between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/8th of an inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter larger than your tart tins to cut out the tart shells. Place the shells into a tin (I used the disposable aluminum ones that you can get at the grocery store, but if you're fancy and have mini tart tins go ahead and use those). Be careful not to stretch the dough as you press it into the tin or it will shrink while baking. Crimp the edges of the tart shell with a fork.

Bake the shells at 375F for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Ensure that the bottoms of the shells have baked as well. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack to room temp.

Assemble the tarts:

 Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla. Place some of the diced peach in each tart shell, top with a dollop of apricot curd and a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with another piece of peach and serve.

Note: This recipe will make more apricot curd than you need. I like having leftovers to spread on toast or serve with chopped stone fruit and ice cream. If you wish to put it all into tarts, double the crust recipe and form the dough into two disks. Keep one disk in the fridge while you roll out the other to ensure it stays cold.