Almond Fruit Tart

I love the fresh fruits of summer, and on a recent trip to a popular warehouse store, I bought a large container of apricots and a couple of large containers of blueberries.  Combined with a bumper crop of tiny new strawberries that I picked from my backyard bushes I decided that it would be nice to use them in a fruit tart.

My New York City backyard is minuscule and composed of a wooden deck and cement, so the frustrated farmer in me has to be content to grow things in portable flower pots.  I grow peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, herbs, and even raspberries and a fig tree in flower pots! My strawberry plants grow in rectangular flower boxes so they can spread out their runners as they like to do. The strawberries I harvest are small. but very tasty!

 Almond Fruit Tart 

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 heaping cup almonds
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 to 3 Tbs. almond liqueur or corn syrup
• 1/4 lb. almond paste
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg white
• 1-pint blueberries, or 4 or 5 small peaches, pitted and sliced -- I also used apricots, pitted and sliced, and strawberries
• 1 Tbs. water
• 1 Tbs. (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup red currant or apple jelly -- I used red seedless raspberry jam and orange marmalade

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

To make the crust, in a food processor, combine the almonds and sugar and process until fairly finely ground. Add the flour and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 Tbs. of the almond liqueur and pulse to bring the dough together in a rough mass, adding the remaining 1 Tbs. liqueur if the mixture is too dry.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your fingers, pat it evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake until light brown and set, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the almond paste and butter and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg white.

When the crust is ready, remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Spread the almond paste mixture evenly over the bottom of the warm crust. Let cool completely, then arrange the berries or peaches decoratively over the top.

Place the water in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the top, stir and let stand for several minutes to soften. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the jelly until it melts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved gelatin until melted, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Brush the jelly glaze evenly over the fruit. Let cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Makes one 9-inch tart; serves 6 to 8

This recipe was adapted from the William Sonoma Lifestyle Series --Time Life Book 1998

The almond crust was very light and had soft cookie consistency, and held its shape very well when cut. The almond paste filling held the fruit in place well and gave the tart a hint of almond flavor. The gelatin jam topping gave the fruit an extra sweetness and pretty glaze. All in all, it was a delicious tart, and one I'll be making often this summer with a variety of fresh fruits and berries.