simple apricot tarts

summer marks the arrival of apricots! that sweet orange little fruit - a handfull of sweetness! its season only last for a few warm weeks of july or august when the fruit can be devoured at its bestest - sweetest aroma. the flavour is part honey, part almond. its flesh has notes of peach, brown sugar and orange blossom that brings an opportunity for pleasure one shouldnt miss!

oh so often that epitome of summer can be hard and sour in flavour. although apricots do soften and become juicier once picked and stored in a paper bag but they will not develop a sweet, ripe flavour. 

but even those specimens that appear beyond redemption can be saved, as the apricot is even lovelier cooked than raw. the oven seems to do the job the sun should, the heat ripening and sweetening the flesh in the time it takes to soften it. you can roast them with lime or lemon juice, spices such as cinnamon, ginger or cardamom, plus a good sprinkling of sugar, or you can cook them in sugar and wine or fruit juice, the liquid coming just halfway up the sides of the fruit. to this you can add elderflower cordial, lavender, vanilla or honey.

or you can simply turn them into a simple apricot tart.

RECIPE
adapted from diana henry

18 - 20 apricots
150g granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
640g puff pastry, rolled out
2 tbsp caster sugar
3-4 tbsp apricot jam

whipped cream or creme fraiche, for serving

halve and stone the apricots. put the granulated sugar in a pan big enough to hold the apricots in a single layer, such as a sauté pan, add 350ml water and bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. add the vanilla. turn down to a very gentle simmer. put the apricots into the liquid and poach gently until they are only just tender. how long this takes depends on their individual ripeness. i stand with a slotted spoon and pull each one out as soon as it is ready. lay the apricots in a broad, flat bowl so they don't have to sit on top of each other.

Roll out the pastry and cut out 6 to 8 circles, about 11cm in diameter. lay them on baking-sheets and, using a knife, mark a border 1cm from the edge, being careful not to cut right through. put 3-4 apricot halves on each pastry circle, leaving the border uncovered. sprinkle on the caster sugar and bake for 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 220°C. give it some under heat to make sure the bottom is crisp and nicely baked.

put the jam in a pan with 1 tbsp water and heat until it has melted. brush over the surface of each tart (avoid using the chunks in the jam) then leave to set a little. serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or creme fraiche.