My love for old-fashioned desserts is something I've been very vocal about, and this one in particular is one of my favourites, specifically because of the pastry shell. It comes together incredibly quickly, it works perfectly with walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, even peanuts, and it always bakes up perfectly. I have also been known to use it to make tiny little cookies, as well. It is simply that delicious.
Honestly, this type of dessert is overall one of my favourites, because I love apricots in desserts, and this one is a gorgeous texture symphony, especially with the jam topping and the crunchy shell. It also keeps for a long time and it does not have to be refrigerated.
I do have some additional advice for the pastry itself. The vegan butter does not have to be ice cold, but I find it works better if it is at least refrigerated before use. That way, the dough stays nice and cold. It will, however, absorb some of the moisture from the filling, especially after a few days, so keep that in mind.
And speaking of the filling, fresh, ripe apricots are the best, but if they are not in season, feel free to use canned or defrosted, it will work just as well. Although, I do find canned fruit to lack flavour, so feel free to add a bit of apricot extract or apricot liqueur if you wish.
Ingredients
For the tart shell
375 grams plain flour50 grams blanched almonds, finely ground
100 grams icing sugar
200 grams vegan block butter, cold
30 millilitres fresh lemon or orange juice
For the apricot filling
300 grams apricots, fresh, defrosted, or canned100 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
100 millilitres fresh orange juice
50 grams cornflour
50 grams vegan block butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the orange jam topping
200 grams fresh orange segments50 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Start by making the orange jam. Segment the fruit directly over the saucepan where you plan to cook it, to catch all the juices, add in the sugar and vanilla, and place it over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until it thickens up and reduces to about 100 grams of jam. Depending on the size of your pan, that could take up to 15-20 minutes. Just keep cooking and stirring until it thickens up nicely, it does not have to be very thick in texture. Set it aside to cool.
Next, make the filling. Finely chop the apricots and place them in a heavy saucepan, along with the sugar and spices. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, letting the apricots soften and heat up slowly. Cook, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes, until the fruit cooks and starts to resemble jam. Separately whisk together the orange juice and cornflour, add it to the fruit, and cook for a minute or two more. This will give the filling a bit of body. Remove from the heat, add in the vanilla and vegan butter, and mix and fold until combined. Set it aside to cool.
To make the shell, start by preheating the oven to 180°C and very lightly greasing and flouring a 26-cm tart pan, preferably with a pop-up bottom. Place the cold vegan butter into a medium bowl, add in the icing sugar, and mash them together using a fork or a pastry blender. Keep mashing until it all blends together. Add in the fresh lemon juice and combine everything. If it looks like it is splitting, that is fine.
Sift in the flour and the icing sugar, add in the ground almonds, and stir with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Knead briefly with your hands, only until it comes together into a ball. Roll the dough into a circle, about 30 cm in diameter, and fit it into the tart pan. Remove any excess dough, dock the entire surface with a fork, and bake it immediately in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 20 minutes. It should not get too dark. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. If you want, you can bake the extra dough you have, at the same temperature, until golden, for some extra crunchy topping on the tart.
Once the shell and the filling are cool, fill the tart shell gently, top the filling with the orange jam, and let it sit overnight in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, sprinkle some toasted ground almonds on top, or the crushed pieces of baked dough you have and serve with coffee. Yields 12 servings.
