Apricot jam and almond tart

This accommodating tart can be made with any sort of preserved fruit. It’s a delicious crowd-pleaser, awesome for autumn.

Moreish: apricot jam and almond tart. Picture: Guy Bailey

This accommodating tart can be made with any sort of preserved fruit, from jam to stewed rhubarb, frozen berries, canned peaches or baked apples. It’s a delicious crowd-pleaser, awesome for autumn.

Apricot jam & almond tart

150g butter, softened

¾ cup caster sugar

¼ teaspoon almond essence (see tips)

1 egg, at room temperature

1½ cups plain flour, sifted

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 cup apricot jam

2 tablespoons almond meal

1 cup pecans, chopped (see tips)

½ cup natural flaked almonds (see tips)

Cream or yoghurt, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan). Grease and dust with flour a 20cm loose-bottom tart tin or ceramic pie dish. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add almond essence and egg and keep beating until incorporated. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder with a spatula until just combined. Flatten to a disc shape and chill for 15 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll out half onto baking paper and lay into the prepared tin. Smooth over ¾ of a cup of the apricot jam and scatter with almond meal and pecans. Roll the other half of the pastry out to fit over the top, trim excess pastry and press to seal. Press almonds on the lid in a creative pattern. Place tart on the middle rack of the oven; bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Loosen the remaining jam with a teaspoon of just-boiled water and brush over the tart. Serve warm with cream or yoghurt. Serves 8

Apricot, almond & rosemary paste

440g plump dried apricots

¼ cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Juice of one orange (½ cup)

2 small sprigs rosemary

1 cup (140g) flaked almonds, roughly chopped

¼ teaspoon salt flakes

Barely cover apricots with just-boiled water and soak for 1 hour. Blitz softened apricots with the remaining soaking liquid, sugar, vanilla and orange juice in a food processor to a smooth paste. Pour into a medium saucepan, add the rosemary sprigs and gently bring to the boil while stirring with a silicon spatula. Cook like this for 10 minutes, being sure to get into the corners to stop it from catching. It will blip-blop like lava and develop a sheen. Once done, remove rosemary sprigs, fold through chopped almonds and salt flakes. Pour hot mix into sterilised jars and seal with a clean lid. You can use 1 cup of cooled mix in place of jam in the tart recipe. Makes 3 cups

Top tips

If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt flakes to the pastry mix

You can use chopped walnuts instead of pecans; the almonds can be slivered or flaked

This pastry is extremely forgiving – if it rips, just patch it up with your fingertips

Almond essence can be used any time a recipe calls for almonds or stone-fruit to boost the marzipan aroma and flavour

Chop almonds by hand. Don’t be tempted to chop in a food processor as they become too mealy