Almond Apricot Tart
Chef Jozef Harrewyn, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago, Illinois
9 ounces butter
9 ounces sugar
4 whole eggs
1 1/2 egg yolks
4 ounces cake flour
10 ounces almond meal
1/2 ounce cinnamon
9 ounces Walkers Almond Shortbread rounds, crumbled
2 tsp. lemon zest
Apricot preserves
2 9-inch tart molds
Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the almond shortbread crumbs by rolling the almond shortbread between sheets of wax paper. Or place a little at a time in a blender at low speed, or in a food processor, until finely crushed. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Slowly add the whole eggs and the egg yolks to the butter mixture. In a separate mixing bowl, combine cake flour, almond meal, cinnamon, almond shortbread crumbs and lemon zest. Add this to the eggs and butter mixture and blend. The mixture should be well blended but not over mixed. Using a spatula, spread the mixture on the base of the tart mold about 1/4 inch thick. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves over the crust, leaving 1/4 inch around the edges free or preserves. Fill a pastry bag with a medium star tip and pipe criss-cross decoration over the preserves. To finish the crust, pipe a border around the edge of the mold. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream.
You may also make individual tarts of cookies. To make cookies, fill a pastry bag with a medium star tip and pipe small round circles onto a baking sheet. Fill the center with apricot preserves and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.