Opinion

Preserve magic, apricot tart

By Jaci Hicken

Dec 9, 2025

Jaci Hicken, our seasoned journalist and trained chef, shares her wealth of knowledge on growing, cooking and preserving homegrown produce. In this edition, Jaci is making an apricot frangipane from a gifted jar of apricots.

From the outside, it can look like I’m a food hoarder and, in theory, it could be true.

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But it is more likely that, over the years, when time was in greater supply, many hours were spent growing produce to preserve it for later and ending up with more preserves than a household of two could ever get through.

This is why the jars of apricots that Nikala gave me in February are still on the shelf.

They are sitting alongside the plums, peaches, tomatoes and numerous jars of jam and sauce that are yet to be consumed.

Following along with the Jaci Can Cook Christmas recipes I’ve been sharing lately, I am going to bake an apricot frangipane tart today.

It is a good way to use up a jar of Nikala’s apricots, but it could also find a home as part of your Christmas spread.

Today we are using up Nikala’s bottled apricots in a tart Photo by Jaci Hicken

If you don’t have apricots or things stored in jars, this same recipe can be made with fresh fruit, including plums, peaches and cherries.

If you are using apricots or fruit from a jar, they will need to be well drained.

If you are using fresh fruit, such as plums, peaches or apricots, they will need to be cut in half and de-stoned; cherries will need to be de-pitted.

And just as a side point, frangipane is a fancy way to say almond cream.

Apricot frangipane tart recipe

Ingredients

A 23cm shortcrust tart case

100g butter

100g sugar

2 eggs

100g almond meal

20g plain flour

Apricots

Extra icing sugar

Method

Step 1. Pre-heat your oven to 160°C.

Step 2. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. You can use a handheld mixer for this if you like.

Step 3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whip until combined.

Step 4. Fold in the almond meal and plain flour, then mix until combined.

Step 5. Spread the almond mixture into your tart case. Arrange the fruit on top, pressing lightly into the almond paste.

Step 6. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly brown on the top. When you take the tart out of the oven, dust it with extra icing sugar.

If watching a tart being baked is more your thing, follow along with the apricot frangipane tart recipe in the app and online.

Enjoy

– Jaci

Jaci is about to move on to zucchinis. If you have something you want Jaci to cook with zucchini before we all have too many, share it with her at jaci.hicken@mmg.com.au