Italian Apricot Jam Tart
I need to apoligize for the darkness of some of these photo's. I didn't decide to make this tart till late yesterday evening and, as I don't have photoshop, I couldn't fix them. Needless to say, I think they explain the process pretty well and the end product was delicious.
I started with the dough which needs to firm up in the fridge for about 30 min. I was able to make this dough in my food processor which saved on muscle and dishes!
After adding the butter and egg, it pulsed for just a few more seconds till it mostly came together to form a dough. See how it is still kinda crumbly?
I shaped it together to form a round disc, then covered it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
When it had chilled enough I rolled it out and placed it in my 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. The extra crust hanging over the sides was tucked under to form a base that was wider than the bottom to help give it more strength. Then the scraps were rolled out, cut and placed on the pie to form a lattice crust on top.
Pop it in a 400 degree oven and a mere 25 minutes later it is ready and beautiful!
After placing it on a rack to completely cool, I sliced a piece to eat. But I thought it looked a little empty and plain.
So I dusted it with confectioners sugar on the outside edge and it was perfect. Perfectly delicious too. There was a perfect ratio of fruit to crust. I wasn't sure about the crust when I was rolling it out it was kinda hard. Because of it's relatively dry and coarse texture I was afraid it would fall apart as soon as I tried to remove a piece. But it stayed together nicely. Plus it was a very good tasting crust. Not too buttery or too sweet. Just right. I can't wait to try it with other flavors of jam!
Italian Jam Tart
from thefreshloaf.com
Ingredients
2 cups (250 g) AP flour, unbleached
1/2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup (110 g) sugar
1 medium egg
1 yolk, save the whites
1 cup (260 g) fruit jam (such as apricot, plum, or sour cherry)
If the granulated sugar is coarse, process it briefly in a food processor or coffee grinder. Mix flour and sugar, then work the butter in with the tip of your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the egg and yolk and work briefly until the dough just holds together. It is important not to overwork the dough (do not knead it) or it will harden when baked. A food processor works perfectly to make the dough: start by placing flour and sugar in the work bowl, process for a few seconds to mix, then add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the egg and yolk and process a few seconds more until the dough forms. Do not overprocess.Wrap the dough in wax paper (I used plastic wrap) and let it rest in a cool place for at least 30 minutes.On a lightly floured board roll 2/3 of the pastry dough to a 1/8-in (3 mm) thickness, and line with it the bottom and sides of a 9-in (23 cm) tart pan with scalloped edges and a removable bottom. The sides should be lined with a slightly thicker layer of pastry than the bottom, about 1/4-in (0.5 cm). Fold back in the dough that is hanging over the sides to make a thicker lining along the sides. Cut of excess. *** the pastry bottom with the tines of a fork in a few places, then spread with the jam. Do not use a deep tart mold.
Roll the remaining pastry on a lightly floured board slightly thicker than 1/8-in (3 mm), then with a sharp knife or pastry cutter cut it in strips 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) wide and make a lattice on top of the jam layer. There might be some leftover pastry. I usually make a few cookies with it, or tartlets. (which I did, as well)
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and bake the tart until golden, about 25 minutes. Unmold the tart as soon as it is ready and let it cool on a rack. If left in the pan it will turn irremediably soggy. It is great freshly baked but it definitely improves after a day or two, if kept in a closed container.
A note on the fruit jam: select a jam that is relatively low in sugar, 38% to 40% content of sugar is best; jams that contain a higher percentage of sugar tend to be adversely affected by the baking temperatures, turning sticky and ruining the final result.
(I used Smucker's sugar free Apricot perserves)