Apricot (or plum) Tart
8 Apricots (or plums), halved and stone removed
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp muscovado or brown sugar
50g butter
1 sheet of puff pastry, store bought, or try to make your own.
serves 2-4
- For this recipe, I used a 20cm pan, although you can use a bigger pan and just scale up the recipe, as this is only a small size tart for a few people. Make sure the pan is oven safe, with no plastic handle.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c, fan forced.
- Before starting, flip the top side of your pan on top of the pastry sheet, and cut out a circle larger than the pan so that you have enough room for the pastry shrinking and to tuck around the edges of your fruit. Set aside.
- Place your pan on a medium heat and start making the caramel sauce by adding in both sugars. Once the sugars start to melt and bubble, swirl the pan and add the butter in, turning the heat to low and allowing the butter to incorporate to make a glossy sauce while you continue to swirl the pan. You can also use a spatula if needed.
- Once the sauce is combined (you don’t want it to cook too long as it’s going in the oven) place the apricot or plums flat side face down in the pan. Nestle them all in and make sure they are fitting tightly into the pan.
- Lay the pastry over the fruit and tuck any excess around the sides using a spoon.
- Make small holes using a knife in the pastry to stop it puffing up too much, and place in the heated oven for 30 minutes.
- Once the pastry is cooked after 30 mins, take the tart out of the oven and leave to cool for a minute before flipping it out. Sometimes a few pieces get stuck to the pan or lose their place on the tart so just place them back and you’ll be good to go.
- Serve warm with cream or ice cream and enjoy the dark, caramelised, sweet summer fruit on the crisp pastry.