David Lebovitz/ Fruit/ summer/ Sweet

Apricot Crumble Tart

 


Two pounds of fresh apricots in a tart to start, what an amazing mound of summer fruits for a dessert? I’m keen to buy up bags upon bags of apricots when they are in season. I have a few winning and crowd pleasing recipes that I’ve never tired of making. Recently, I’ve also found a way to preserve apricots so that I can extent the seasonal offering a while longer. Yes, I love apricot desserts of all kinds. I was excited to bake an apricot tart along with the Cook-the-book-Fridays group.

I made the apricot crumble tart and the apricot kernel ice cream from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. He wrote: “I do take the time to treat the apricots right, rolling out a tart shell that I make with pure butter, packing them into the filling, and topping it all with a crunchy topping of nuts and a dusting of cinnamon.”

That closely describes the tart recipe in general. Except, when I got to actually making the dough, it required pressing the dough over the bottom of the springform pan, and a little less than halfway up the sides. Haven’t done that for quite a while! That tripped me up a little. It was easy said than done. It took some chilling and waiting and pressing to get a decent looking shell. Maybe I was overzealous with the pressing. The end result was less desirable than I’d have liked. The bottom of the tart was soggy and the side was too thick to break with a fork.

The best part of the tart was the apricot filling. It was sweet and tart and delicious. I may have messed up the crumble topping by, again, overworking it a little too long. It was not as light and crunchy as I’d expected.

apricot tart topped with apricot kernel ice cream

I made the kernel ice cream. Since I don’t have a ice cream machine, I made it following the no-churn method by whipping together heavy cream and condensed milk in roughly a two-to-one ratio. Added the apricot kernels and vanilla extract and then put the mixture in the freezer for a few hours to set. The ice cream was creamy and nutty. One problem: my husband absolutely refused to eat it. He does not think it is safe to eat certain kinds of apricot kernels. I think he does know a thing or two in this field. David Lebovitz did warn us not to consume the kernels in high quantities. According to WebMD:

Apricot kernel contains a toxic chemical known as amygdalin. In the body this chemical is converted to cyanide, which is poisonous. There was interest in using apricot kernel to fight cancer because it was thought that amygdalin was taken up first by cancer cells and converted to cyanide. It was hoped that the cyanide would harm only the tumor. But research has shown that this is not true. The amygdalin is actually converted to cyanide in the stomach. The cyanide then goes throughout the body, where it can cause serious harm, including death.

It’s a little disconcerting, given my recent episodes of food poisoning. Is my husband the only one with his refusal?

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24 Comments

  • Reply
    Natascha Beutner
    August 5, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    It looks great! Spreading the dough along the bottom of the pan is easier said than done! It takes some time! I did not know that information about the kernels and I think that I would stay clear of them as well. Thank you for sharing it! 👍

  • Reply
    Natascha Beutner
    August 5, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    It looks great! Spreading the dough along the bottom of the pan is easier said than done! It takes some time! I did not know that information about the kernels and I think that I would stay clear of them as well. Thank you for sharing it! 👍

  • Reply
    oneexpatslife.com
    August 5, 2016 at 6:02 pm

    Now see, this is why I don't like Dr. Google, he's such a downer. Had a I read that ahead of time, I probably would have worried about it, but I didn't, so I didn't worry about it. I've made this ice cream several times and had no issues, so I guess I'll go with that.

  • Reply
    Kathy
    August 5, 2016 at 9:03 pm

    I didn’t have the time to make the ice cream but saved the pits to make it another time. I always knew that apricot pits had cyanide…but didn’t think anything of it when I read the recipe. I’m not sure I want to try it anymore. Thanks for sharing. Your tart looks scrumptious!

  • Reply
    Nana
    August 5, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    I'm with Kathy after reading that article. Actually, I didn't even think about making the ice cream simply because I had no time.
    Your tart looks perfect and the ice cream does look delicious.

  • Reply
    Betsy
    August 6, 2016 at 1:24 am

    I'm not sure I'm deterred from trying the ice cream. I enjoy amaretti cookies, the cute ones that come in paper wrappers in the big orange can. I know those are made from ground apricot kernels and I still eat them. Delicious tart, though I found the crust to be easy to work it. Interesting…

  • Reply
    Mardi Michels
    August 6, 2016 at 5:18 am

    NOw see I don't like almond flavour like that so I won't be in a rush to make the ice cream either. I agree that the crust is an easy one to make but I do need to go slowly when I press it in otherwise it's uneven too. I really enjoyed this!

  • Reply
    Teresa
    August 7, 2016 at 5:00 am

    There's so much back and forth on the internet about kernel ice cream, isn't there? I didn't have time (or enough kernels) to try it, but I think I may make it once. I'm pretty sure I'll live! 🙂 I enjoyed the tart very much and the crust baked up really well for me – it was in the freezer a bit longer than 30 minutes, though.

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 7, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    The crust shrank a little as it hit the oven. I'll try putting it in the freezer longer. Kernels from most sweet apricots sold in this country should be safe to eat. It's also a matter of quantities. Like all things, they are more nuances to the matter. Glad you enjoyed your tart.

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 7, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    I ate some of the ice cream and that little bit of kernels is not enough to do anything. It could be a matter of scale.

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 7, 2016 at 1:20 pm

    There are other bigger things to worry about. I ate some and there was no issue.

  • Reply
    KB from Prof Who Cooks
    August 7, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    I hesitated with the ice cream, frankly, and while I did make it there was a little something in the mouthfeel and flavor towards the end of each bite that I wasn't fond of. I have a hard time articulating it, so I didn't mention it in my own blog post. I seem to be okay, though! I agree about the crust. For me, it was so sandy once I mixed it together I was certain I had messed it up. I almost added a tsp of water, but decided to trust it. Turned out fine, but yeah the pressing it in thing was more than I expected!

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 7, 2016 at 6:50 pm

    Now you mentioned it, I believed I tasted bitterness in the after taste. I still have the ice cream in the freezer. What kept me from eating more was recent episodes of unexplained and crippling reactions to certain food.

  • Reply
    Nicole
    August 8, 2016 at 10:33 am

    Well I think that does it for me. I no longer feel obliged to hoard apricots and kernels next year when they come back into season.😂

  • Reply
    Nicole
    August 8, 2016 at 10:33 am

    Well I think that does it for me. I no longer feel obliged to hoard apricots and kernels next year when they come back into season.😂

  • Reply
    EmilyC
    August 8, 2016 at 11:56 am

    Perhaps, I will try and grow apricot trees with my collection! Anyways, I enjoyed a slice of the tart on its own and it was delish! Sorry to hear that your crust was a bit too thick at the sides, otherwise it looks great!

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 8, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    That's so cool to have apricot growing in the backyard since the season is so short and uncertain when and where you can find them.

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 8, 2016 at 12:53 pm

    Besides eating them, you can use them whole with the preserved apricots. There is no risk there since you are not digesting them.

  • Reply
    fancypants94
    August 8, 2016 at 10:50 pm

    ah, what did we do before the almighty internet? I didn't make the ice cream but I have started saving kernels as I'm quite fascinated by their use. I honestly don't think it's much of a health hazard. REAL amaretto was made with apricot kernels, before their flavour was replicated in the lab using chemicals.

  • Reply
    EmilyC
    August 9, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  • Reply
    Mary Hirsch
    August 10, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Thanks for the apricot kernel scientific update and like some others, I think I will pass on making the ice cream. There are so many great recipes that I can survive without knowing how this recipe tastes. I'm sorry your baking shell gave you some problems. Yes, perhaps you were trying to make too perfect a crust. Sometimes that Be Perfect Gene that women seem to carry does not serve us well. The crumble was the best part, IMHO, so try it on other crisps and crumbles and pies sometime.

  • Reply
    flour.ish.en
    August 11, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    Mary, you seem to know the inner workings of some of us better than we know ourselves. I try to overcome that "perfect gene." It's work in progress. Please keep on reminding me with your words of wisdom. Someday I'll get there. Thanks!

  • Reply
    lisa brown
    August 28, 2016 at 11:28 am

    I did not make the apricot kernel ice cream, what an interesting story you shared. Wasn't it Steve McQueen who went to Mexico to have this treatment?
    Anyway, your tart looks fantastic as does your ice cream. I confess- I have an ice cream maker and still did not make the icecream!! I was taking the easy way out

  • Reply
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