French Apricot Tart Recipe

Ingredients

Tart Shell

• 0.125 cup half and half or cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1.5 cups flour
• 0.25 cup sugar
• 0.125 tsp kosher salt
• 0.5 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small 1 inch chunks

Star Anise Infused Honey

• 0.5 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 8 whole star anise pods

Filling

• 10 apricots, semi-firm
• 1 cup mascarpone at room temp (or substitute cream cheese)
• 1 cup plain greek style yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Tart Shell

1. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks and cream. In a food processor, combine flour salt and sugar. Mix well. Add butter. Pulse until texture is like sand. Gradually add egg mixture and pulse until it forms a ball. If the mixture seems dry or is not forming a dough, add a tablespoon of ice-cold water. Form a ball, place on a plastic wrap, flatten, wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
2. Place dough between two layers of parchment and roll it out until 1/4 inch thick, rolling from the middle out. It may not look perfect, with cracks and uneven edges. Not to worry, you can tidy it up in the tart pan. Starting at one edge, wrap dough around the rolling pin and lift it onto the tart pan. Unwrap and gently start pressing it into the pan, patching up any tears and pressing it into the sides and corners with your fingers. To remove excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top for a nice clean edge. Smooth out with your fingers. Prick the bottom with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Line the tart shell with parchment paper. Fill the parchment-lined tart with pie weights, beans, or a generous amount of rice. This will ensure that it holds its shape and edges will not sink.
4. Place in 400F oven for 15 minutes, or until set. Gently remove the tart from the oven and carefully lift out the parchment and rice.
5. Place tart back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes uncovered, until nicely golden. Cool completely. You can make this ahead.

Star Anise Infused Honey

1. In a small saucepan add 8 star anise seed pods to 1/2 cup honey and 1 tablespoon water and heat to a low simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring and coating star anise with honey. Let steep for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight. You can do this ahead.

Roasted Apricots

1. Cut apricots in half and remove stones. Place in a buttered baking dish, open side up. Drizzle all but 3 tablespoons of the infused honey (which you will use for the mascarpone filling) over the apricots. Place in a 400F oven for 5 minutes, check for doneness, and swirl baking dish a bit to allow honey to fully coat the apricots on all sides. On average, they will need a total of 10 minutes in the oven. They should be just tender, but still hold their form. Very ripe apricots will be done in less than 10 minutes. Less ripe will take longer. Check frequently as they can deflate and turn into mush in a matter of minutes.

Assembly

1. Let mascarpone come to room temp. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or by hand) mix the 3 tablespoons of star anise-infused honey into mascarpone until fully incorporated. Whisk in the yogurt.
2. Fill the cooled tart shell with Mascarpone Yogurt Cream. Top with roasted apricots. Drizzle the remaining star anise honey from the apricot's roasting pan over the entire dessert. Use star anise as garnish. Let chill for a few hours to set. Or you could chill the tart with just the mascarpone, letting it set, and just before serving place the warm apricots over the tart.

Notes

• It's much easier if you make the tart shell and infused honey a day ahead.
• Allow 2 hours chilling time for the tart to set properly.
• Check apricots frequently while roasting as they can turn to mush quickly.