Yotam Ottolenghi´s Apricot & Rosemary Galettes

We are in the middle of May and fresh apricots are at their best only in July. When ripe, their flesh is sweet, soft and juicy.  There rank among some of my favorite stone fruits and I am always on the lookout for recipes to use them. But with this lovely recipe, there really is no reason to wait until they are in season, as it calls for the unsweetened canned variety, believe it or not. And it is so worth giving it a try, especially in May. - „Apricots are just about the only fruit I use from a tin – they’re consistently good in cakes and tarts.“ Yotam Ottolenghi

Galettes are very thin discs or sheets of flaky pastry that give a light, very crisp background to all kinds of toppings, both savory and sweet. There is really no limit to what you can put on top of them and you can serve them for a light lunch, as a first course, on a picnic, for a dessert, or with afternoon tea or coffee - by the way a nice slice of these Apricot Galettes is absolutely perfect with morning coffee, believe me, I have tried it.

Apricots can vary greatly in quality. If they taste woolly and bland when eaten fresh, cook them into a dish and they will become luscious and flavorsome. Apricots make excellent jam if cooked with sugar and lemon juice. Apricot jam is often used as a glaze on pastries and to stick cake layers together. The pronounced sweet-sour taste of apricots makes them a much-loved choice in desserts and sauces. Vanilla tastes particularly good with them. Canned (tinned) apricots are really great for this tart when they are out of season but I am sure that when you have some wonderful, ripe apricots, this tart is just as amazing with fresh apricots, in which case you will need the same quantity of small apricots, halved and stoned.

This recipe calls for a flavor combination that is very dear to my heart, I love the way rosemary and apricots harmonize and these tarts or galettes makes the most of both of them. Although I must admit that basil and apricots are also a rather intriguing taste combination. In my humble opinion, fruits and herbs are a match made in heaven.

Apricot & Rosemary Galettes
(inspired by a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, from Easy Ottolenghi. "It's NOT an oxymoron folks.")

Ingredients

• 375g high quality, all-butter puff pastry, pre-rolled, or rolled out into a 25cm x 38cm rectangle
• 80g ground almonds (grind yourself or use almond meal)
• 70g demerara sugar, plus 15g extra for sprinkling on the pastry
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated/organic)
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary, plus 2 sprigs extra to garnish
• 3 cans apricot halves (720g drained weight)
• 1 egg, whisked (organic or free range)
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ tsp natural almond essence
• 50g smooth apricot jam (use high quality or homemade)

Preparation

1. Cut the pastry in half widthways, so you have two 19cm x 25cm rectangles.
2. In a small bowl, combine the almonds, sugar, lemon and chopped rosemary, then sprinkle this mix over the two sheets, leaving a 3cm empty border all the way around the edges.
3. Arrange the apricots cut side up on top of the almond mix, all overlapping and sitting together snugly.
4. Lay a sprig of rosemary on top of each tart, then brush the empty pastry border with egg wash.
5. Pull in the four sides of the tarts a little, crimping them to create an edge, then brush all around with more egg wash.
6. Mix the melted butter with the almond essence, and brush generously over the apricots and rosemary. (I added the scraped seeds of half a vanilla bean here).
7. Sprinkle the remaining 15g sugar over the galettes, then put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 190° C (375° F).
9. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown, then leave to cool.
10. In a small saucepan on a high heat, melt the apricot jam with a tablespoon of water until combined and just starting to bubble.
11. Brush this all over the galettes and serve.

This is truly a heavenly dessert. It is an easy treat that combines flaky, buttery puff pastry, sweet almonds, the summery taste of apricots and the delightfully woodsy flavor of rosemary.

The Galettes can be made a day ahead or if you have any leftovers you can serve them the following day without any loss of taste or lusciousness.- "Don’t feel that you have to eat these galettes on the day they’re made, because they’re still damned good the day after.“ Yotam Ottolenghi