Angelcots, glorious Angelcots

Last weekend I fell in love.

These beautiful, whiter fleshed apricots are called Angelcots. They'll be in your Trader Joe's or Ralph's markets very soon. We have Frieda's Specialty Produce to thank for bringing them from the world of farmers markets to selected grocers. (Just like the little kiwi, years ago.) They are magnificent.

These darlings are called Angelcots for a reason. They really are the angels of the apricot world. You know how many times you've encountered the fragrance of a ripening apricot only to find the flesh a bit flat or tart or worse, mealy? Well, not these delights. They are, somehow, sweet with a hint of tartness, almost buttery in consistency. And slightly reminiscent of the pear.

Frankly, if you like apricots, you should just buy a box and eat them as they are, as soon as they ripen (at room temperature). Here are a few ways I'll be enjoying them:

• sliced and chilled
• sliced in beverage
• chopped in salad (with feta)
• as dessert, halved and carefully peeled, with Marscapone cheese - maybe sweetened only a bit
• with fresh, fresh blueberries
• out of the bowl  - as God clearly intended

After I tasted them, my first thought was a simple tart. I wanted to poach them briefly -  a minute or so, (against all my instincts) just to remove the skin and impart a hint of orange peel. My instincts were right though. No poaching. In a quick minute they went from tart to Angelcot sauce. I barely had to stir them to have a luscious Angelcot Coulis. (Good for over the tart or over Vanilla Ice Cream.) Ah!

So with the remainder of my Angelcots, I went for a very simple compilation tart. It's fairly easy. Try it.

Angelcot Tart 
Printable Recipe

1 sheet frozen puffed pastry
1 cup Creme Fraiche
6 Angelcots, delicately peeled
Angelcot Coulis

1) Defrost the puffed pastry. And heat the oven as directed.

2) Trim the edges of the dough 1/2" and stack it along the side edges to make a border (you'll use this for lots of summer fruit tarts).

3) Give the edges a quick egg wash (ez: one egg & 1 Tablespoon of water, whisked)

4) Bake the pastry.

5) When it cools, brush the Creme Fraiche (mixed with 1 Tablespoon of superfine sugar) onto the the pastry bed. You can also use a thick greek vanilla yogurt or pastry cream. Pastry cream is my favorite, but this is a quick compilation and there will be another tart.

6) Cool covered in the fridge while you peel the Angelcots. (I use a tomato peeler like these - be careful.)

7) Cut the fruit into sixths and layer them as you like. They'd also be great in quarters or halves.

8) I used the coulis so no apricot jelly for me, but my French pastry counterparts will always brush fruit gel over any fruit pastry. Not this time, but if you try other fruit and want the finished, less rustic look, follow the recipe below.

And, enjoy.

Fruit Gel to Finish
Cup apricot preserves
2 Tablespoons water or liqueur like Grand Mariner
Heat and push through a stainer to remove fruit particles.

Blush over when slightly warm and allow to set. Fruit will hold it's freshness and shine beautifully.

Now, go buy some Angelcots.

My box is empty.