Austria’s Wachau Valley experiences a seasonal orange-golden rush with their highly-prized apricots, known to be made into jams, brandies and liqueurs. The incomparable taste and aroma of Wachau’s apricots shine through with its “protected designation of origin” status from the European Union. During our included Apricots and Sweets Special Interest Tour in Dürnstein, Austria, you will have the opportunity to taste their enticing flavor while sailing on one of our many Danube River Cruises.
AmaWaterways has been proud to partner with Chef Joanne Weir of PBS’s Plates & Places and welcomed her for her third river cruise aboard AmaMagna on the Danube River to film for several episodes of the show’s third season, which launched January 2020. Chef Weir then joined us for a Sip & Sail virtual event in June 2020 where she shared some of her favorite apricot recipes.
Enhance your dessert palate with Chef Weir’s delightful apricot frangipani puff pastry tart recipe below:
Apricot Frangipani Puff Pastry Tart
INGREDIENTS
- 14 ounces puff pastry, defrosted in the refrigerator overnight
- 15 apricots, each cut into 6 wedges
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons melted and strained apple jelly
For the Frangipane:
- 1/3 cup almond flour or finely ground almonds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature, whisked
PREPARATION
- Roll the pastry on a floured board until it is it is approximately a 14″ square. Cut into two pieces so that each piece is a 7″ X 14″ rectangle. Working with one piece of pastry, fold in the edges approximately ½ to ¾” on all sides until it measures approximately 6″ X 12″. Press the edges well and crimp.
- Place on an oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet and set in the refrigerator. This can be done several hours in advance. Reserve the other piece of rolled pastry for another use.
- In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, sugar and flour. Add the butter and almond extract and mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the egg yolk and mix until smooth. This step can also be done several hours in advance. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Preheat an oven to 375°F. Using an offset spatula, spread the room temperature frangipane on the cold pastry leaving a border of about ½ to ¾-inch.
- Place the apricots on the frangipane very close together in a decorative pattern. Brush the top of the apricots with melted butter.
- Bake the pastry in the middle of the oven until the pastry is golden and puffed and the apricots are very tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the melted apple jelly. Let cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
Serves 6
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