Apricot fold over tart

Spring has to be one of my favourite seasons. It is the season of hope in my humble opinion as the trees start bearing beautiful fruits after the harshness of a barren winter. The Spring winds usher in the warm glow of apricots, the advent of which I wait with eager anticipation. As the temperature increases, my want to be laboriously toiling away in the kitchen decreases. A simple free form apricot fold over tart with rosemary honey is a welcome addition to any dessert table.

Apricot fold over tart

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

10g ground cinnamon

50g icing sugar

210g cold butter, cut into cubes

2 egg yolks

500g fresh apricots, halved and stoned

15 caster sugar

·       In medium bowl, place flour, cinnamon and icing sugar

·       Rub in your butter until it resembles breadcrumbs

·       Add your egg yolks to form a dough

·       Knead the day for a few minutes just to activate the gluten a bit

·       Clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes

·       Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius

·       Roll your dough out to a 30cm circle, place on a greased or lined baking tray

·       Spread the rosemary and apricot compote on the base, leaving a 5cm border around the diameter

·       Toss the fresh apricots in the sugar

·       In concentric circles, place the apricots on the pastry cut side up

·       Fold the pastry over the apricots slightly in a free form fashion

·       Sprinkle the edges with extra caster sugar

·       Bake for 35 minutes or until the apricots are slightly blistering and the pastry is golden.

·       Brush with rosemary honey and serve with a hearty dollop of cream

Rosemary and apricot compote

40g caster sugar

250g fresh apricots, stoned and chopped roughly

50ml water

2 sprigs rosemary

·       Place all ingredients in a small saucepan

·       On medium heat, cooking until the apricots have started breaking down.

·       Once you have a pulpy compote, take off the heat leaving to cool before using.

Rosemary honey

200g honey

2 sprigs rosemary

·       In a small saucepan, place honey and rosemary sprigs

·       Heat until the honey has become warm and runny

·       Place in a small container and leave to infuse overnight