Welcome to my first recipe for #Dishtopia! This post I am honoring a fan request from far too long ago. Now some of you may have heard of a little game called Dishonored. This dystopian steampunk fantasy game has you playing Corvo Attano, the deposed Queen’s bodyguard-turned-assassin serving vigilante justice to the plague-ridden remains of his glorious Empire.
An assassin needs eat though, right? That’s why I’ve come up with a recipe for probably the only appetizing dish in the game: the Apricot Tartlet.
Click here to skip to the recipe for Apricot Tartlets.
Dining in Dunwall
When I say that the Apricot Tartlet is the only thing you’d want to sink your teeth into in the City of Dunwall, I’m not kidding. I’m more of a savory cook, myself. But when faced with such bile-inducing options such as Rat Skewers, Brined Hagfish, and Potted Dabovka Whale Meat, I think I can afford the blood sugar spike.
That said, I wanted to incorporate the game lore and influences into this dish rather than just giving you a run of the steel-mill tart recipe. The Imperial city of Dunwall in Dishonored bears a strong resemblance to London and the British county and port city of Bristol. One can even draw another connection between Bristol and Dunwall’s host island of Gristol as both are renowned for their ciders.
Apples and Apricots
I mentioned the term “scrumpy” in my Godric Gryffindor’s Beef and Apple Pasty recipe two weeks ago. If not, scrumpy is the term a traditionally rough and full-bodied cider originating in West England. I figured that scrumpy would be the perfect base to glaze this dried-apricot-laden confection.
Since scrumpy is probably not readily available in the standard US supermarket, I chose to use Angry Orchard’s Stone Dry for this recipe. Crispin or Strongbow would also work.
I leave it up to you whether you use apricot or apple jelly in the glaze, as well. I used apricot and it was delicious. Next time, though, I think I’ll use apple jelly and add spices to get a stronger cider flavor.
Enjoyed this recipe or are interested in other food from dystopian fiction, film and video games? I am hosting Fandom Foodies recipe-link up this month: #Dishtopia. Learn more about the foodiepocalpse by clicking here!
recipe
Cooking with Corvo
Gristolian Apricot Tartlets
Makes 8 tartlets
Equipment: Eight 4.5-inch tartlet pans, wire whisk, pastry blender, rolling pin, oven, stovetop, small saucepan pastry brush.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 sticks cold butter
- ice water
- 1/2 cup apricot or apple jelly
- 1/4 cup dry, hard cider
- 3/4 cup cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups dried apricots
- baking spray
Instructions:
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven 400° F.
- Whisk the flour and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender until fully incorporated and resembles large breadcrumbs. Add ice water a teaspoon at a time and mix in until it comes together as a dough.
- Divide the dough into two disks and wrap them in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour in the refrigerator or until ready to roll and cut.
- Divide the dough into eight balls. Flatten each portion with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it is a few inches larger than the tart pans.
- Spray each tart pan with baking spray then manipulate the dough to fit each one. Don’t stretch the dough or it will shrink during baking.
- Trim the excess dough and prick the bottom several times with a fork.
- Bake the tarts 13-15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
Make the Glaze
- Pour the cider and jam into a small saucepan over low heat on the stovetop. Cook while constantly stirring until melts.
- Remove the pan from heat and let cool as you assemble the tarts.
Assemble the Tarts
- Spread a tablespoon and a half of cream cheese evenly into the well of each tart.
- Distribute the dried apricots among the tarts.
- Coat the fruit with glaze using a pastry brush. Serve.
These look so delicious!