Holiday Dried Fruit Tart
Brandy adds a festive touch to Holiday Dried Fruit Tart. The pastry uses toasted almonds for a delicious nutty flavor.
Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 1 Hour Serves 8
Ingredients
Toasted Almond Tart Shell (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) pitted dried plums (prunes), halved
1 cup dried apricot halves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup water
3 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
Bake and cool Toasted Almond Tart Shell. Heat oven to 350°F. In 2-quart saucepan, combine fruits, water, brandy and honey. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until fruits are tender. In small bowl, mix orange juice with cornstarch; stir into fruit mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cook and stir mixture 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
Arrange mixture in crust. Bake in center of oven 20 minutes; cool on rack. Remove side of tart pan and place tart on serving plate. Lightly brush top of tart with additional honey, heated, if desired. Arrange cut-outs on tart. Cut into wedges to serve. Accompany with small scoops of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired.
Toasted Almond Tart Shell:
Heat oven to 350ºF. In food processor, process l cup toasted sliced almonds until finely chopped. Add 1/2 cup butter, softened and 3 tablespoons sugar; process until thoroughly mixed. Add 1 egg, then 1 1/2-cups all-purpose flour; process just until blended. Gather dough into a ball and reserve 1/2 cup. With fingertips, press larger portion of dough evenly onto bottom and sides of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. On work surface, roll or pat out remaining dough 1/4 inch thick. With small cutters or paring knife, cut out leaf shapes to decorate top of tart; place, spaced apart, on small baking sheet or double thickness of foil. Bake tart shell and cut-outs in center oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes for the cut-outs and 25 to 30 minutes for the tart shell. Cool completely.
Tip: Orange juice can be substituted for the brandy. To toast almonds, arrange in even layer on baking sheet. Bake in 350°F oven 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned.
