My Last Winter Mini-Tartelette !

After some days in summery Buenos Aires, I came back to a cold Paris...chilly but sunny..and that, as everybody who lives here knows, is a real blessing! The following morning, on my way to do some shopping, I crossed Foch Avenue, and there I found all these flowers, framed by enormous still-bare trees....

And there, it dawned on me: winter is coming to an end..Thanks God! We have had such a harsh winter...but then, probably because melancholy is one of the traits of my personality, instead of thinking of all that is coming: fruits, fresh greens..I thought of all I would leave behind: braised meats, citrus, tartlets full of nuts...

So this mini-tartelette made its way to this blog..to you! The crust? An almond "pâte sucrée"

Then, all the nuts we like, or we have at home plus pistachios...Then dried fruits: here apricots, and orange marmelade, to balance the sweet caramel...!

I love the extra-small size of these treats (6cm), because sometimes it is only a question of having a tiny sweet thing with our coffee...just to satisfy our craving for something sweet, without exaggerating....

Making the tartlets can be a challenge at times: remember the "pâte" has to be cold to work with it properly...and don't overcook the caramel...otherwise it will taste bitter, instead of sweet! (though in this recipe, the addition of glucose gives you more "flexibility" in time)

Don't feel discouraged if the first time they don't look like out of a shelf of a Parisian pâtisserie! The human being should beat the inanimated thing (this is what I always repeat myself!) , at least in theory... ;D

I hope you enjoy them..They are great!

To make these tartlets, you will need:

For the pâte sucrée, follow recipe and instructions here, using 6cm ring molds.


For the filling:

*glucose, 80gr *sugar, 200gr *cream, 100gr *butter, 30gr *a pinch of salt *orange marmelade, 100gr * mixed nuts, 150gr (all chopped coarsely except for the pistachios that you will keep whole) *dried apricots, 60gr

In a saucepan, start making a caramel with the glucose and sugar (add the sugar progressively, in batches) When it gets to a light golden colour, remove from the heat. Add the butter (room temperature) and salt. Stir. Then add the cream and marmelade (previously heated in the microwave). Be careful! Then cream has a tendency to splash, particularly if you add it cold!! Finally add all the nuts and apricots. Combine well. Fill your tartlets.