This tart is a summertime showstopper. It looks beautiful, tastes even better and is so perfectly balanced between sweet/tangy/crunchy/crumbly/caramelized. Use ripe but firm apricots here.

The recipe comes from Linda Dannenberg’s Paris Boulangerie Patisserie, and Dannenberg cites André Lerch as the original patissier. You can visit Linda Dannenberg here.

Apricots

25-30 fresh apricots

2 tbsp sugar

Split the apricots and remove the stones. (The best way to do this is to simply insert your thumbs into the top of each apricot, pulling them apart along the seams. The stones are easily removed. Dry the seeds and store them – the apricot kernels inside the stones are wonderful to have hanging about.)

Pâte brisée au sucre

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

pinch baking powder

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

1 large egg, beaten

Butter a 10 or 11 inch tart tin or a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the egg, pulsing until the dough comes together. Flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic and chill it for at last half an hour.

Roll the chilled pastry on a sheet of lightly floured parchment until it is 1/8 inch thick, dusting it with flour as needed. Chill it again for a few minutes if necessary to make it easier to handle, then invert the parchment over your prepared tin, pressing in the dough. Chill for at least half an hour.

Filling

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup flour

pinch baking powder

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place oven racks in the top and middle thirds of the oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and vanilla. Sift the flour with the baking powder over the egg mixture, then stir gently with a wooden spoon just until it is combined. Add the butter and mix just until the mixture is smooth. Use a flexible spatula to spread this mixture over the chilled crust.

Stand the prepared apricot halves up in the filling, pressing down slightly and arranging them in overlapping circles so that the filling is completely covered.

Bake the tart on the middle oven rack for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Carefully transfer the tart to the top rack. Sprinkle the apricots with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar, trying not to sugar the pastry. Bake until the apricots are caramelized and a little blackened on the tips, about 15 minutes longer. About 5 minutes before the tart is finished, prop open the oven door with a wooden spoon – just a crack – to allow steam to escape. Transfer the tart to a rack to cool. Just before serving, sprinkle the crust and edges of the tart with icing sugar.