This fruit and nut tart is particularly delicious served with a vanilla or honey icecream and honey-flavoured whipped cream

Ingredients

Pastry

• 12 sheets filo pastry

Apricot Filling

• 800 grams (2½ cups) well-packed dried apricots
• 25 grams butter
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 250 grams cream cheese

Walnut Filling

• 75 grams butter, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger or cardamom
• ¾ cup ground walnuts
• 75 grams butter, melted
• icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

Apricot Filling

1. In a saucepan put the apricots, butter, water and sugar and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes until the apricots have softened and absorbed most of the liquid.
2. Place in a food processor with the cream cheese and process until blended. Cool.

Walnut filling

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is very light. Fold in the sifted flour and spices and ground walnuts

Assembly

1. Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush lightly with melted butter. Place to cover the base of a 23cm loose-bottom flan tin, but leaving a good portion hanging over the edge. Butter a second sheet and place on top of the first, but a little further around the sides of the tin. Repeat this process with a further 6 sheets so that you have thoroughly covered the base of the tin and have plenty of filo hanging over the edge.
2. Spread the apricot filling over the base of the filo. Spread over the walnut topping. Flip the filo pastry loosely over the top of the fillings.
3. Spread each of the remaining sheets of filo with butter. Loosely scrunch each up and place on top of the croustade to completely cover the top.
4. Bake at 180°C in the middle of the oven for 1¼ hours until the tart is well browned and the filling thoroughly cooked