Apricot Tart with Mascarpone and Honey Cream

Ingredients

• Serves 6
• 10 Apricots, ripe but still firm, pitted, cut into quarters
• 3 tablespoons (40 g) butter,
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons raw pistachios
• 8 oz Mascarpone cream
• 1/2 cup (115 g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• For the brown butter crust:
• 3 ounces (90 g) European style butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 ounces (150 g) flour (roughly 1 well rounded cup)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. To make the crust:
3. Lightly butter a 9-Inch (23 cm) diameter tart pan with a removable bottom and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
4. Place butter, oil, water, sugar and salt in a medium size saucepan over medium heat and cook without stirring until the mixture thickens and starts to brown. If the mixture starts to brown unevenly, swirl the pot to move the ingredients around. Remove the pan from heat and immediately add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits that might stick to the bottom and sides until the mixture lumps together and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
5. Dump the dough into the prepared tart pan and begin to press the hot pastry into place with a spoon, building up the sides first, then work on the the bottom. The pastry is easier to work with when it is hot, as it cools it becomes crumbly. Pierce the crust all over with a fork. Bake for 7 - 8 minutes or until golden. (The dough is already partially cooked, so this goes very quickly). Cool completely on a rack.
6. To cook the apricots and make the cream:
7. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle melted butter with sugar and cook until sugar starts to melt. Add the apricot quarters in a single layer. Sauté until lightly coloured on both sides and tender, remove and put aside to cool. Once all the apricots are cooked, toss the pistachios into the same pan, sauté and stir, 2 to 3 minutes, to coat the nuts with the remaining butter and sugar. Remove, cool and roughly chop.
8. Combine mascarpone, cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and cardamom in a bowl. Whisk, using an electric mixer, until cream is smooth and satiny and starts to forms peaks. Don’t over whisk or it may curdle.
9. Spoon filling in cooled crust. Arrange apricot slices on top and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
10. Slice and drizzle servings with remaining honey.