Shortcrust Pastry Flavored Apricot Jam and Brandy

I've been meaning to make this sweet since Saturday 26th November, my name day. Italians call this tart La Pasta Frolla. Greeks call it Pasta Flora. (Frolla vs. Flora)... God knows why there is this difference.  It is very good for breakfast with coffee, in the afternoon with tea. It is a dry sweet. Basically a shortcrust pastry topped with whatever jam you have....and, by putting your imagination to work,  you can add any liquor you want to the jam. Usually brandy.

You will need:
Serves 16 pieces even more depending how you cut.
-  1 kg all purpose flour.
-  600 gr fresh good quality butter softened to room temperature
-  400 gr powdered sugar.
-  100 gr egg yolks. This is tricky depending on the egg size. Basically 5 egg yolks for 60 gr eggs.
-  1 tsp. vanilla.
-  1 pinch salt
-  Zest of 1 lemon.
-  1¼ cups apricot marmalade.
-  3 Tbsp of brandy.
Method:
-  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
-  Using your blender, add flour make a hole in the middle, add pinch of salt.
-  Add your butter and start blending on slow No. 1 -3.
-  Start adding your yolks one by one while blending, increase to No.4 speed.
-  Add sugar and blend.
-  Add vanilla blend.
-  Add lemon zest and blend till you get a perfectly uniform pliable dough.(delicious too).
-  Let it rest for half an hour.
-  Cut dough in half, leave other half for decoration.
-  Open the dough with your rolling pin on parchment paper,  about an inch wider than the circumference of the pie mold.
-  Take the whole parchment paper and overturn it on the pie mold. Tricky so be cautious.
-  Fix with the palm of your hand and fingers till you get it right.
-  Fill with jam mixed with brandy.
-  Make long strands of dough and place as in picture to make rhombuses.
-  When ready, bake at 180 C  for 45 minutes or until golden.
-  Bring out from the oven and let cool completely only then will the tart be nice and crisp.


Enjoy warm or cold.
Stelio

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