Apricot Ricotta Torte Recipes

APRICOT & RICOTTA TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Tip all the ingredients for the base, except for the egg, into a food processor and blend until like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blend again to make a paste. Scrape onto the base of a greased 24cm loose-bottomed springform tin, spread with a spatula then bake for 25 minutes until risen and just set.
• Meanwhile beat the ricotta in a bowl with the eggs, soured cream, sugar and vanilla, then when the base has had its 25 minutes, take it out of the oven. Quickly scatter the apricots over the base and pour the cheese mixture on top. Return to the oven for 50 minutes more until the mixture has set and is starting to turn golden round the edges.
• Run a knife round the cake to release it from the sides of the tin then cool and chill. You can make this a day ahead.
• Transport the tin covered with cling film or foil, then turn out and dust with icing sugar when you get there.

APRICOT TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thickened. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Fold into yolk mixture. Gradually fold in flour. , Divide batter among three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. , For buttercream, in a small saucepan, whisk the sugar, eggs, yolks, vanilla and coffee. Add chocolate; cook and stir over low heat until thickened (do not boil). Cool completely. , In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add chocolate mixture; set aside. Finely chop apricots; drain and place in a bowl. Stir in preserves; set aside. , Split each cake into two horizontal layers; place one on a serving plate. Spread with 2/3 cup buttercream. Top with a cake layer and 2/3 cup apricot filling. Repeat layers twice. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Garnish with chocolate curls.

APRICOT TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Make the pastry. In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Process until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs (about five seconds). Add the cold water and process briefly, turning the machine on and off, until the mixture looks like small peas. Do not allow to become a ball in the machine.
• Turn mixture out onto lightly floured board and knead lightly until it holds together. With heel of palm of your hand, flatten it into a thick pancake about six inches across. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. It will keep unfrozen up to three days before being used.
• Cut apricots in half and remove pits. Melt butter and sugar in nine-inch cast-iron skillet. Arrange apricot halves in circles on top and cook over moderate heat, without burning, until sugar begins to caramelize. Be careful not to burn. Cool completely.
• Roll out pastry into 10-inch circle. Place it on top of apricots, cutting off excess dough. Put edges down over fruit. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prick the pastry all over with the point of a knife. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is cooked.
• Cool and turn out onto a plate. Do not be dismayed if some of the apricots stick to pan; simply scrape them off and put them on top of pastry.

RICOTTA-APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Crust: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat in the egg and half the flour, then add the remaining flour and mix until evenly blended. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a thick disk, wrap it well, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heavily flour your work surface and the dough. Roll the dough to fit a 10-inch tart pan or a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Place the dough in the pan, and prick it all over with the tines of a fork. (The crust will be blind-baked -- baked without any filling -- but it doesn't need to be weighed down with beans or rice or pie weights, as long as you prick it thoroughly with a fork.).
• Bake the crust in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F, and bake it until it's golden brown, about another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and cool it while making the filling.
• Filling: In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, Fiori di Sicilia or orange oil, and flour. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the apricots. To quickly peel apricots, fill a large pan with hot water. Bring it to a boil, and place the apricots in the pan. Bring back to a boil, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the apricots from the hot water and plunge them into a bowl of ice water. The skins should slip off easily.
• Assembly and Baking: Stone and slice the apricots. Pour the ricotta mixture into the tart shell. Place about 10 slices of apricot over the filling; they'll sink partially -- it's OK. Bake the tart in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, until the filling looks mostly set.
• Sauce: Place the remaining sliced apricots into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the brown sugar, water, and brandy, if you're using it. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the apricots are cooked through and the sauce starts to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat, and transfer it to a serving dish. It can remain at room temperature while the tart cools.
• Let the ricotta tart cool for several hours before cutting it into wedges. Spoon the sauce over each piece before serving, or serve it on the side. Refrigerate any leftover tart.

RICOTTA TART WITH APRICOT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• To prepare crust, roll out chilled Sweet Pastry on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing pastry onto bottom and up sides of pan. Trim edges of pastry. Prick bottom of crust all over with a fork.
• Line bottom of pastry with a piece of parchment paper and fill pastry with pie weights, dried beans or raw rice. This helps prevent the crust from shrinking or puffing up during baking.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Remove pie weights and parchment paper. Continue baking until crust is fully baked and light golden, about 5 - 10 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan on a rack.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• To prepare filling, use medium speed of an electric mixer and beat together cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add ricotta and beat until smooth. Add eggs, lemon peel and salt; beat until blended. Pour filling into crust in pan.
• Bake until filling is almost set, about 40 - 45 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on a rack.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Uncover and top with Apricot Compote.

APRICOT RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• For the pastry crust: Mix 1 1/3 sticks softened butter with the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 Tbsp. rum, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk. Combine the ingredients well. Add the flour, the cornstarch, and the lemon zest. Knead to obtain a soft and even dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• For the filling: Mix the ricotta until soft and creamy. Beat the remaining egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. Disaronno liqueur. Stir in the almonds. Whisk in the ricotta.
• For the caramelized apricots: Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Caramelize 1/4 cup sugar in a pan with 1 Tbsp. butter; add the apricots and baste with 2 Tbsp. Disaronno liqueur. Cook for a few minutes; turn off the heat and let rest.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper, fill the pan with dried beans, and bake at 350°F for around 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes to let the crust dry out. Remove the crust from the oven, fill it with the cream, and bake again at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the caramelized apricots and their juice. Let the tart cool and serve.

ROASTED APRICOT TART

Steps:

• For the tart crust, roll the dough to a rough 12-inch disk and transfer it to the cookie sheet. Pierce the dough all over with a fork and place a plate or pattern on to and cut it to a perfect 11-inch circle. Butter the bottom of one of the cake pans and center it on the disk of dough. Chill one hour.
• While the dough is chilling, cook the apricots. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set a rack in the middle level. Thickly butter the other pan and sprinkle it with the brown sugar. Arrange the apricot halves, skin side down in the pan, alternating a dried apricot with every two fresh apricot halves. Sprinkle with the remaining butter and then the lemon juice. Bake the apricots about 40 minutes, until they are well cooked through. Cool on a rack.
• To bake the tart crust, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and place the cookie sheet and dough, still covered by the cake pan into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the cake pan. Continue baking about 15 to 20 minutes more, until deep golden and crisp, piercing the dough with a fork if it bubbles up. Cool the crust in the pan on a rack.
• To assemble the tart, reheat the apricots for a few seconds over low heat to make sure they are not stuck to the pan. Invert the tart crust to a cardboard and slide the crust over the top of the pan the apricots are in. Cover the crust with the cardboard or a platter and invert the apricots onto the crust. Remove the pan and rearrange the apricots if necessary. Serve tepid with some whipped cream.

AMARETTO CHOCOLATE TART WITH APRICOT CREAM

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter the tart pan.
• For the crust: Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, almonds, cocoa powder and sugar in a food processor. Process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. With the processor running, gradually add 2 tablespoons of iced water until the mixture forms a ball, adding extra water, as needed, if the mixture is too dry. Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place the dough in the tart pan and trim any excess dough from the top of the pan. If the dough cracks, press scraps of dough into the cracks to seal. Prick the dough all over, using a fork, and bake for 15 minutes. Let the crust cool for 15 minutes.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate and butter in a small bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Beat the eggs, liqueur, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until the filing has set and begins to crack slightly on top, 22 to 25 minutes. Allow the tart to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the apricot cream: Beat the cream at high speed until stiff peaks form, using a hand mixer. Add the jam and vanilla. Beat until the jam is incorporated into the cream.
• Remove the tart from the pan and cut into thin wedges. Serve with a dollop of apricot cream.

APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat, and set aside on a floured surface. Roll dough out to a 14-inch circle, and place on paper.
• In a medium bowl, toss apricots together with sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and zest. Place apricot mixture on the center of the dough. Spread out, leaving a 2-inch border of dough; turn ends of apricots upward. Fold the dough up and over the apricots, making a crease or fold every 4 to 5 inches to enclose fruit and prevent juices from seeping out.
• Brush dough thoroughly with heavy cream; sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, and lower oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotating baking sheet 45 degrees. Continue to bake until tart is evenly browned and apricots are bubbling, about 25 minutes more.
• Transfer tart from baking sheet to a cooling rack, and cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APRICOT TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place whole nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and sliced nuts in a single layer on another sheet. Toast until golden and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Shake the pans halfway through toasting to make sure nuts brown evenly. Set aside to cool.
• Grease a 10-inch springform pan with margarine, sprinkle with sugar, and tap out excess; set aside. Place 1/4 cup sugar, whole almonds, and the apricots in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely chopped, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl, add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and stir to combine; set aside. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer batter to large bowl; set aside.
• Clean and dry the mixer bowl and whisk; use to beat the egg whites with salt and lemon juice until frothy. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar, and continue whisking on medium until peaks are stiff but not dry. Fold beaten whites into beaten egg yolks. Add the apricot-and-almond mixture, and fold in until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until torte is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. It may be necessary to cover the torte lightly with foil to stop the top from burning. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the torte, and release from pan. Allow to cool completely on the wire rack.
• Place the apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and strain. Brush glaze onto cooled torte. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and Passover Powdered Sugar.

APRICOT CROSTATA

Steps:

• Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour, salt, and lemon zest until mixture just forms a dough.
• Shape dough into 2 balls, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten each ball into a 5-inch disk, then wrap each in wax paper and chill 30 minutes.
• Stir together preserves, lemon juice, and extract in a small bowl.
• Roll out thicker piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) between 2 sheets of wax paper into an 11-inch round. Remove top sheet of paper and invert dough into a 9- by 1-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom. Peel off paper and fit dough into pan, trimming side to 1/4 inch below top of rim. Chill shell.
• Roll out remaining dough in same manner and remove top sheet of paper, then cut dough into 10 (1-inch-wide) strips. Slide strips on wax paper onto a baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Spread apricot filling in tart shell and arrange 5 strips across filling (about 1 inch apart), trimming excess dough at ends of strips. Arrange remaining 5 strips on top (about 1 inch apart) to form a lattice (do not weave), trimming ends. Press ends onto edge of tart shell and bake crostata in middle of oven until golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

UPSIDE-DOWN CARAMELIZED APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Combine 1/2 cup sugar if using canned apricots (or 3/4 cup sugar if using fresh apricots) and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped into water and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Add butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits are dissolved. Immediately pour caramel into nonstick 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet; swirl to cover bottom of skillet. Carefully place apricot halves, rounded side down, tightly together atop caramel.
• Roll out puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12 1/2-inch square. Using 12-inch tart pan bottom or platter as guide, cut pastry into 12-inch round. Place puff pastry round atop apricots in skillet. Gently press down pastry around apricots at edge of skillet. Bake tart until pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 1 minute. Cut around edge of pastry to loosen. Place large rimmed platter atop skillet. Using oven mitts as aid, hold skillet and platter tightly together and invert, allowing tart and syrup to fall onto platter. Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any apricots that may have become dislodged. Serve warm.

APRICOT & RICOTTA TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F
• Tip all the ingredients for the base, except for the egg, into a food processor and blend until like breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg and blend again to make a paste. Scrape onto the base of a greased 9in loose-bottomed springform tin, spread with a spatula then bake for 25 minutes until risen and just set.
• Meanwhile beat the ricotta in a bowl with the eggs, soured cream, sugar and vanilla, then when the base has had its 25 minutes, take it out of the oven.
• Quickly scatter the apricots over the base and pour the cheese mixture on top. Return to the oven for 50 minutes more until the mixture has set and is starting to turn golden round the edges.
• Run a knife round the cake to release it from the sides of the tin then cool and chill. You can make this a day ahead.
• Transport the tin covered with plastic wrap or foil, then turn out and dust with confectioner's sugar when you get there.