Baking: Apricot Flan Tart

This is a favorite of mine. The recipe comes from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery cookbook. Bouchon is amongst the best bakeries in the country. I've been there once, while visiting friends in California. If you ever happen past the town of Yountville, I recommend you stop in and try their goods. Since that is a long way for me to go for bakery, I like to make some of it for myself. This weekend's mission was Apricot Flan Tart. This is the third or fourth time I've made it. It's a relatively straight forward recipe, but it does demand your full attention while making it.

(I won't be sharing the recipe, as it is from a copyrighted book...that would be illegal...we're just looking at the process and highlights)

The recipe begins with a Pate Brisee for the shell. A simple mixture of flour, butter, and water. If you want your tart on Saturday morning...this needs to happen on Thursday evening. It needs to be chilled over night.

The best way to roll out tart shells is between too pieces of parchment paper. This allows you to spin it, flip it, and more importantly...keep it from sticking.

The reason behind the cookie sheet and the Silpat is that this made with a tart ring. Tart rings are simply bottomless pans. It is just a sidewall. In the case of this tart, all of that excess shell will be left until the end. It helps protect the shell during the baking process.

We'll blind bake the shell filled with rice to help keep it flat. Part way through baking, we'll pull out the rice and give it a few more minutes in the oven. Two pictures I failed to shoot: after the shell is baked, the bottom is lined with apricots; the shell will be filled with custard. Now...there's not much mention of the filling here. Why? Well...it's pretty basic and both of my hands were busy. The filling needs constant attention. Trust me, though, there's not a lot I could have showed you in pictures.

Coming out of the oven, this tart looks like a hot mess. However, we're right on track. Let it cool down, then it'll go into the fridge.

After a night in the fridge, we're ready for some trimming. The little dish to the side was just an experiment...ignore it.

Breaking away the outer shell, making a mess of things.

Ready to serve.

C'mon...how can you say no to that?!?!