Apricot and Almond Galette
Almonds bring both nuttiness and sweetness to this open-faced tart. The rich, tender pastry is a buttery envelope for plump, fragrant apricots, which have an affinity for almonds.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 3 Tbs. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 Tbs. cream cheese
- 4 to 6 Tbs. ice water
- 1 1/2 lb. apricots, halved, pitted and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup apricot jam or preserves
- 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbs. water
- 3 Tbs. sliced almonds
Directions
To make the dough, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and almond extract. In a food processor, finely grind the almonds. Add the flour, sugar and salt and pulse briefly. Add the butter and pulse briefly. Add the cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolk mixture and pulse to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Using a fork, stir in 4 Tbs. of the ice water to bring the dough together into a rough mass. Squeeze a small piece of dough; if it does not hold together without crumbling, stir in the remaining water, 1 Tbs. at a time. Gather the dough into a ball on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a disk, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the apricot slices in a bowl and add the lemon juice and sugar. Toss to coat the apricots well.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 15- to 16-inch round about 1/4 inch thick. Fold the dough into quarters and unfold it onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the apricot jam over the dough, leaving a 3-inch border uncovered, then arrange the apricots evenly on top of the jam. Fold the dough edges over the apricots, loosely pleating it and leaving the galette open in the center. Brush the dough with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the almonds.
Bake the galette until the dough and almonds are browned and the apricots are tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.
To serve, transfer the galette to a platter or cutting board, cut it into wedges and divide among serving plates. Serves 6 to 8.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Desserts, by Raquel Pelzel (Oxmoor House, 2008).