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How to make a French tart
If you have every wanted to learn how to make a French apricot tart, you are in the right place. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make an apricot French tart including how to make tart dough. You CAN make this! This recipe is easy, simple and authentic.
If you have extra apricots because, um, you have an apricot tree, this recipe is a great way to use apricots.
French Tart Dough Recipe – Step by Step Pictures
This tart dough is easy to make in a food processor. A special kneading method called fraisage is used to blend the flour and butter together with out making the dough tough. The dough is worked cold and rolled out just like a pie crust. You CAN do this!
Why I love French tarts.
Have you ever heard of the Imposter Phenomenon? It’s the concept describing high-achieving individuals who have trouble internalizing their accomplishments and believe they will be exposed as a fraud. It’s not a mental disorder or a personality trait but rather a response to a situation. It’s really interesting and continues to be studied.
Why do I bring this up? Because in the kitchen, especially with baking, super especially with French pastries, I feel like a fraud. Learning to cook is a life long process which includes at the basic level learning to chop, dice, sauté, wash dishes etc.
With pastries, there is so much more to it. Baking includes complex chemical reactions that need a narrow window of ingredients to make the reactions happen properly.
Too much flour or liquid in the dough and you pretty much have to start over. I have always thought of baking as needing an advanced set of skills, sometimes convincing myself that only cooking school graduates should attempt to master, especially with French pastries!
Well, you do need more advanced skills- but the secret that the imaginary angry French Chef from Le Cordon Bleu – that lives in my head- never told me is that each pastry recipe learned builds those skills one-by-one, easily.
French tart dough is a great start to building those skills and that is why I love French tarts! I even succeeded on the first try!
about Richard Grausman & C-CAP
This apricot dessert recipe is adapted from my latest favorite French cookbook and guide, French Classics Made Easy by Richard Grausman. Although there are many types of fruits that are great in a tart, I used apricots because my apricot tree is very generous.
When I first received my French Classics Made Easy book in the mail, I read it like a novel. It really captured my attention because of how approachable French Cooking was through this well written book.
I was inspired and excited but never thought about the author behind the book, until he reached out to me.
Mr. Grausman is not only a cookbook author but has dedicated his career to helping American cooks succeed in the kitchen and inner-city high school kids develop an outlet for their creativity and transform their own lives.
In 1990 Mr. Grausman piloted a culinary arts program in twelve New York City schools. His Careers in the Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) has provided a valuable platform for underserved high school students to reach goals, develop a marketable skill and enter culinary college programs that would otherwise be unreachable. Through his leadership, the program has flourished with the help of industry support.
Mr. Grausman has generously offered to help you with your culinary questions including with this tart recipe. He looks forward to helping you on your culinary journey by sharing his expertise and his passion for teaching.
If you are interested in helping support this amazing organization, please consider donating or fundraising for this vital community asset.
The fabulous serving pieces were made by my husband, Mr. Craftiness.
For 15 recipes to cook and eat on Bastille Day, click here!
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Bon Appetit!
French Apricot Tart Recipe
A French Tarte aux Abricot recipe with step-by-step instructions. This apricot dessert is a great way to use up apricots if you are lucky enough to an apricot tree.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1 Tbs sugar
- 8 Tbs cold, unsalted butter (115g)
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 Tbs cold water
- 3 Tbs corn starch
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 cups of fresh apricot haves, may use frozen (thawed)
- 1/2 cup apricot jam mixed with 3 Tbs water
- OPTIONAL
OPTIONAL
- 1/2 cup of sugar to mix with the apricots to increase sweetness.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475F.
- Place flour and sugar in food processor and pulse a few times. While processing, add butter, one tablespoon at a time until well incorporated.
- In a small bowl, add egg and water and mix well. While processing, add egg mixture in a slow stream and continue to process until dough comes together in a ball, take dough out.
- On a floured surface, dust the dough with flour and fraisage* the dough four or five times until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to the surface. Form dough into a round shape, refrigerate 15 minutes.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface into the size and shape that will fit your 9 to 11 inch tart pan. Roll dough up onto rolling pin and transfer to tart pan. Push the dough into the pan at the edges. Using a rolling pin, roll along the top to cut the excess dough off, see pictures above. Poke holes in tart with a fork several times.
- Sprinkle tart with corn starch and sugar, add apricots.
- Bake tart on lowest rack for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 425F and continue baking for approximately 30 minutes or until tart is gently boiling and rim of crust is dark brown.
- Take the tart out and *unmold immediately to put on a cooling rack. When the tart has cooled, brush top with apricot and water mixture gently.
Notes
- Fraisage is a technique of kneading where you take the palm of your hand and push outward, repeating until the dough is flattened. The goal is to push the butter and flour together in a tighter bind.
- To unmold a tart pan, slide part of the pan over the edge of counter, wrap your hand and forearm with a kitchen towel to protect from burns, push up the bottom of the pan to unhinge the ring, letting the ring dangle on your wrist, carry tart to cooling rack, slide off the tart.
- Apricots have lower sugar than many other fruits. If your sweetness preference is on the higher side, you may want to add an additional 1/2 cup white sugar to the apricots to counter the tartness of the fruit. This is a tip from one of the readers, thanks Charity!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Cuisinart Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, White (FP-8) - Walmart.com
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M KITCHEN WORLD Silicone Basting - BBQ, Pastry, and Oil Brush (Orange), Turkey Baster, Barbecue Utensil - use for Grilling & Marinating - Desserts Baking, Set of 2 with 2 Recipe Electronic Books -
AmazonBasics Stainless Steel Bowl Scraper/Chopper -
Webake 11 inch Tart Pan Heavy Duty Quiche Pan Removable Bottom Nonstick Round Pie Pan
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 3g
More French Recipes:
Pâte á Choux
French Mushroom Soup
Beurre Blanc, a French White Sauce
French Sardine Pate
Adrienne
Saturday 29th of May 2021
I made this last year and it was fantastic. My tree is full of fruit so I have made it again. It has been out of the oven for 30 minutes and the cornstarch sugar mixture around the apricots is still liquidy. I don't remember if that happened last time and it will finally set? Also what is the best way to store to be eaten the next day. Thanks!
Tina
Sunday 30th of May 2021
Hello Adrienne, I'm glad you liked this tart last year. I haven't had a problem with the juice being too thin around the tarts. Did it thicken when it cooled? The only thing I can think of is that the corn starch might not have been sprinkled evenly across the dough. Corn starch doesn't expire like baking soda or baking powder so even if your cornstarch is older, I think it should still work fine. I have also used tapioca starch in a similar matter with great results. I have left my tart both covered and on the counter for the next day and also stored it in a lidded food storage container. Both works for me. Richard Grausman wrote the Book: French Classics Made Easy and has offered his culinary advice. I suggest you reach out to him, he really enjoys helping people. He can be reached at RGrausman(at)CCAPinc.(org). I hope your tart thickened up! Let me know how it goes.
Christine
Tuesday 5th of January 2021
I have made this twice now as it is apricot season in Australia, it is divine, I made my pastry vegan.
Tina
Thursday 7th of January 2021
What a great idea Christine! I should mention that you can do that. Did you use margarine? Thanks for trying this, I've had great results so far:)
Richard Grausman
Wednesday 8th of July 2020
Thanks for using and crediting my recipe. If you or your readers ever have questions or a problem with any of the recipes in my book, French Classics Made Easy, don't hesitate to reach out to me at my email address below.
Tina
Thursday 9th of July 2020
Thank you Mr. Grausman for you generosity. You are a natural teacher and it really comes through in your writing. Your book has really given me confidence to try French pastries in my own kitchen. Your explanations are clear and helpful in understanding the techniques and what to look for. Your book seems to be popular with readers, I refer to it frequently. Again THANK you!
Ellie
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
This looks delicious and I can't wait to try it!! My sister loves apricots and I'll make sure to try this recipe! I have a question that I've always wanted to know the answer to: I don't have a food processor but I do have a blender. Is it possible to get the same result by using a blender instead?
Tina
Wednesday 8th of July 2020
I am so glad you asked. You can't do this in a blender. But you can do it the old-school way and add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and start kneading by hand. I used to do this before I had a food processor. If the thought of committing to a food processor makes you cringe, try the second hand stores. Almost all of my kitchen is from second hand stores, estate sales or hand-me-downs. The food processor makes cooking so much easier. I have an old small one. I think it's 20 years old. I want a bigger one but I have such a small kitchen I don't know where I would put it. Let me know what you decide to do! I would love to hear all about it:)
Bonnie
Thursday 25th of June 2020
To make vanilla sugar, put 1 slit open vanilla bean in a jar of sugar (about a cup) for at least a week. Or, mix 1 c sugar with 1/2 tsp vanilla; mix well and keep covered in a mason jar with lid,
Alternative
Tina
Friday 26th of June 2020
Sweet! I was wondering if that was something you bought. I will try this, thank you for the vanilla sugar tips:)