French Blackberry Apricot Tart

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Classic French apricot frangipane tart made with sweet short pastry, almond cream frangipane, and topped with fresh fruit.

Prep Time1

Cook Time40

Chilling Time30

Total Time2 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings: 9-inch tart

Make the pâte sucrée dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. You will only need 1/2 the recipe for a 22cm tart ring. If using a bigger tart pan you can roll out as much as you need and save the rest.
1/2 batch Sweet Tart Pastry - Pâte Sucrée
Roll out between two layers of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8-1/4 inch (3-6mm). If the dough feels a little soft chill for about 10 minutes before lining your tart ring or tart pan.
If using a tart ring, very lightly coat the inside with cold butter. (You can skip this step of your ring is non-stick) Place the tart ring on a perforated silicone mat and perforated pan. For tart pans with removable bottom simply place on work surface.
Place the tart ring on the rolled out dough and cut a circle that is 1.5 inches wider than the ring. Carefully lower the dough into the center of the prepared tart ring.
Gently guide the dough into the corners of the ring or pan, working quickly until it becomes flush with the silicone mat or bottom of the pan. Make sure there are no gaps. Use the bristles of a pastry brush to gently press the dough into the corners. Then a flat fingertip to press it softly against the sides with flattening the dough.
Take a small knife and trim away the overhanging dough. Smooth the edges with your fingertip.
Place the pan with the dough lined tart ring in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). If using convection or fan oven, reduce the temp by 25℉ (20℃).
Take a sheet of parchment paper and crinkle it in your hands so that it will easily fit inside the frozen crust. Fill the paper with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
Place the perforated pan with the tart ring on the middle rack of the oven. If using a tart pan with removebable bottom you can place it on a baking sheet and also bake on the middle rack.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights by lifting up on the parchment paper and setting them aside. Return the empty tart to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. It should have a very light golden hue. Place the pan on a wire rack and let it cool completely.
Don't remove the tart ring. If you see any uneven edges on the crust you can gently file them with a microplane.

While the crust is cooling, make your almond cream if you haven't already done so.
1 batch French Almond Cream
Fill the cooled tart shell with the almond cream. Spread it into an even layer using an offset spatula. It should almost comlpletely fill the tart with just a little room for adding fruit and puffing.

Arrange the apricot quarters across the almond cream, leaving little spaces for the filling to bake around the fruit. The apricots will shrink slightly in the oven, but having too much fruit will make it the tart hard to slice.
8 medium fresh apricots
Add blackberries between the gaps of the apricots.
fresh blackberries
Place the tart back in the oven and continue to bake at 350℉ (180℃) for an additional 50-55 minutes. Since all ovens are different start checking your tart around the 45 minute mark. The frangipane shouls be puffy, dark golden around the edges of the tart and lightly golden on the spots in the middle.
Remove the tart from the oven and slide the silicone mat with the tart ring directly onto a cooling rack. Or transfer your tart pan from the baking sheet directly onto the cooling rack. This prevents further cooking of the bottom tart crust due to a hot pan.

While the tart is cooling and still a little warm I like to paint on a thin layer of apricot glaze.
Combine the apricot jam and water in a small bowl. Microwave about 15 seconds until warm and stir with a fork.
Take a pastry brush and gently paint a shiny coating of glaze across the top of the tart.
Serve slightly warm, room temp, or chilled.