Apricot Tart

I am obsessed with the Food Network channel

My obsession began when I first moved to DC. I had become accustomed to eating very well thanks to my mother’s fabulous home cooking. University was a breeze because I found sympathetic roommates who graciously fed me. In DC, for the first time, I faced a kitchen full of intimidating stainless steel appliances.....all alone. I vowed, then and there, to whip up many a gourmet meal.

My resolve lasted about a week. I was quickly engulfed by my new job and the excitement that comes with moving to a new city. Those gourmet meals sadly turned into various versions of pastas or omelettes. Many a night and weekend, I found myself flipping to the Food Network channel watching in awe as talented chefs whipped up delicious meals in their measly 30 minute time slots.

When I moved to San Diego, I lamented to my husband, for the umpteenth time, how the Food Network would benefit from having a 1-800 number where one could actually order the delicious dishes prepared on the channel. One day, he wisely suggested, that since this 1-800 number had yet to be listed in the yellow pages, I should at least try a recipe. He offered, in return, to be my guinea pig, to pretend to like my food no matter how it turned out, and most importantly, to do all the cleaning up.

I’m glad he did because the first recipe that I tried was an apricot tart, a little ambitious, but it was well worth it. Here’s the tart that started it all….

Apricot Tart ( Adapted from Giada's Fig & Almond Tart Recipe)

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 2 tablespoons sugar,

· 1 lemon, zested

· 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

· 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

· 3 tablespoons ice water

· 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 2 tablespoons honey

· 20 dried apricots

Directions

Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread the mascarpone and sugar filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the apricots on top of the filling. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.

Bake the tart until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the tart from the parchment. Transfer the tart to a platter and serve.