In this tart, the golden fruits are wrapped in a toasty and crunchy hazelnut crust then topped with a hazelnut crumble and some chopped hazelnuts. The combination of fruit and nuts is perfectly balanced. I’ll be baking this dessert again, before the fresh apricot season comes to an end next month!

Apricot & Hazelnut Crumb Tart

Apricot & Hazelnut Crumb Tart (adapted from bakefromscratch.com)  Total Time Required: about 2 hours, Prep Time: 45 minutes, Bake Time: 60 minutes, Chill Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 1 (9-inch) tart

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons roasted skinned hazelnuts, divided
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• 2 pounds fresh apricots, washed and quartered, peeled if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread all the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet. Toast the nuts for 10 – 12 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through to prevent burning. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool.

Toast the hazelnuts.

Once the nuts have cooled, reserve 2 tablespoons of the nuts for later and transfer 1-1/3 cups of them to the bowl of a food processor and pulse them together with the confectioners’ sugar until combined.

Process the hazelnuts and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor.

Add 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the processor and pulse until combined.

Add the flour and salt to the processor.

Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.

Add the butter to the processor.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg together with 1 tablespoon of cold water. With the processor running, pour the egg mixture through the food chute in a slow, steady stream until combined. Pulse until the mixture begins to hold together, adding more water if necessary to hold the dough together easily when squeezed.

Combine the egg with some water and add it to the processor.

Reserve 1 cup of the hazelnut mixture for the crumb topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the vanilla bean seeds using your fingertips. Stir the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt into the vanilla sugar and set the mixture aside. Roughly chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, then set them aside.

Combine the vanilla seeds with the granulated sugar.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour in the prepared tart shell. Starting from the outside edge, arrange the apricots, standing on their cut edges with the rounded sides facing out, in concentric circles and packing them in tightly. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apricots.

Arrange the apricots in the tart and sprinkle the vanilla sugar over them.

Crumble the reserved cup of the hazelnut mixture over the apricots. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over top.

Distribute the hazelnut crumbs and chopped hazelnuts over the apricots.

Bake the tart until the topping is deep golden brown and the fruit is bubbly, 50 to 60 minutes, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let the tart cool completely in the pan.

Bake the tart and let it cool in the pan.

Once cooled, remove the ring from the pan.

Remove the ring from the pan then slice when completely cooled.

Cut and serve the tart at room temperature with ice cream, if desired.

Serve as is . . .

. . . or with some ice cream!

Early season fresh fruit is wonderfully delicious in baked goods!  ~Linda

Apricot & Hazelnut Crumb Tart (adapted from bakefromscratch.com) Total Time Required: about 2 hours, Prep Time: 45 minutes, Bake Time: 60 minutes, Chill Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 1 (9-inch) tart

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons roasted skinned hazelnuts, divided
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• 2 pounds fresh apricots, washed and quartered, peeled if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread all the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet. Toast the nuts for 10 – 12 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through to prevent burning. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool.

Once the nuts have cooled, reserve 2 tablespoons of the nuts for later and transfer 1-1/3 cups of them to the bowl of a food processor and pulse them together with the confectioners’ sugar until combined. Add 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the processor and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg together with 1 tablespoon of cold water. With the processor running, pour the egg mixture through the food chute in a slow, steady stream until combined. Pulse until the mixture begins to hold together, adding more water if necessary to hold the dough together easily when squeezed. Reserve 1 cup of the hazelnut mixture for the crumb topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the vanilla bean seeds using your fingertips. Stir the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt into the vanilla sugar and set the mixture aside. Roughly chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts, then set them aside.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour in the prepared tart shell. Starting from the outside edge, arrange the apricots, standing on their cut edges with the rounded sides facing out, in concentric circles, packing them in tightly. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apricots. Crumble the reserved cup of hazelnut mixture over the apricots. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over top.

Bake the tart until the topping is deep golden brown and the fruit is bubbly, 50 to 60 minutes, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let the tart cool completely in the pan. Remove the ring from the pan and serve the tart at room temperature with ice cream, if desired.