Pasta flora is a delicious Greek jam tart with a light, koulourakia-style cookie crust and a sweet apricot jam filling. Want to make it dairy-free? Just swap in vegan butter for the regular butter, and you’re good to go!

Okay, so here’s the fun part—you can totally customize the top of your tart however you like! Weave a lattice, roll the dough into strips, or cut out cute shapes and place them on top. Pasta flora isn’t just delicious, it’s seriously beautiful! This Greek jam tart, with its bright apricot and citrus flavours, is the perfect sweet treat. Traditionally, it’s made with apricot jam, but honestly, you can use whatever jam you’re in the mood for—fig or strawberry would be amazing too. Trust me, it’s going to taste as good as it looks!

INGREDIENT NOTES 

Apricot jam: You can use any type of apricot jam that you like! Personally, I love using Bonne Maman’s apricot jam.  The colour is bright, and it’s so so good! You’ll need to buy at least two jars of apricot jam for this recipe. If you’re near a Costco, they sell Bonne Maman’s jam for a really great price.

Eggs: The eggs need to be at room temperature so that they can incorporate well with the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time to the batter, and each egg needs to be fully mixed in before adding in the next egg.  If the batter starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of flour and continue to mix until all of the eggs are incorporated.

Vegan butter: If you’re looking to make this recipe dairy-free, easily swap out the unsalted butter for vegan butter bakery sticks.  If you’re using vegan butter, you won’t need to add a pinch of salt since vegan butter is saltier.   You’ll want to use unsalted vegan butter that is sold as sticks or a bar since vegan spreads have more water content which won’t work as well when creaming together the butter and sugar.

The butter should be at room temperature (soft to the touch) so that it can whip easily in the mixing bowl and result in a fluffy crust.  I made vegan kourabiedes with Nuts for Butter unsalted original vegan cashew butter, and the butter became fluffy and mixed really well with the sugar and other ingredients.  I haven’t tried it with pasta flora yet, but I’m sure it would be a great substitute for butter.

Unsalted butter: You’ll want to let the butter come to room temperature before adding it to the mixing bowl so that it can cream well with the sugar.  At room temperature, the butter should be soft enough to give in slightly when pressed with your finger.

Orange zest or lemon zest: You can use either orange zest or lemon zest for this recipe.  Both add a bright citrus flavour to the tart dough.  When zesting the orange or lemon, try only to get the bright exterior and not the white part known as the pith.

RECIPE TIPS 

• Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you start—this helps it get nice and fluffy when you whisk it. If it’s not getting fluffy after a couple of minutes, stop the mixer and let the butter warm up at room temperature. Then, try mixing again, and it should do the trick!

• You can use a fluted pastry wheel to cut the dough into long strips to make a lattice top, or you can roll the dough into strips or create any design that you’d like!

• The eggs need to be at room temperature so that they can mix well with the butter and sugar.

• Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 20-25 minutes. This helps the butter firm up, making it easier to press the dough into the baking pan. While you’re working on the base, pop the remaining 1/3 of the dough (for the top of the tart) back in the fridge. Once the tart base is ready, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill again while you get creative with the design for the top!

• If you’re using vegan butter, the dough may be slightly softer.  You can allow it to cool for longer in the fridge (at least an hour).  If you’re hoping to make a lattice design, then you may need to add more flour to the 1/3 of the dough that is set aside for the top design of the apricot tart.

HOW TO MAKE PASTA FLORA (GREEK APRICOT TART): STEP BY-STEP 

STEP 1: Whip the Butter: Cut the softened butter into smaller cubes and transfer to a mixing bowl. Use an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment.  Turn the mixer on medium speed (#4 on a KitchenAid mixer) and beat the butter for one minute. 

The butter should become fluffy at this point.  If it doesn’t, then your butter may be too cold, or the speed of the mixer may be too low.  Slowly add 1 cup of granulated sugar and continue to beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. 

STEP 2: Add the Eggs: Add one egg at a time to the butter and sugar mixture with the mixer on medium-high speed. Allow each egg to fully incorporate into the mixture before adding the next egg (about 30-45 seconds). After mixing in all of the eggs, add the pure vanilla extract and brandy. Mix together, turn off the mixer, and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. 

STEP 3: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients: Sift the flour and whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.  Form a ball with the dough, transfer it to a large, clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the fridge for 20-25 minutes.

STEP 4: Prepare your rolling surface and preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F on bake.  Clean and lightly flour a surface like your kitchen counter or kitchen table.  Grease the 9″x 13″ baking dish with butter.  Have a little bit of flour on hand as you work with the dough. 

STEP 5: Soften the Apricot Jam: Preheat your oven to 350° F on bake. Heat up the apricot jam in a small saucepan on low heat. You don’t want it to boil but use just enough heat so that the jam is easier to spread on top of the pie crust. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

STEP 6: Roll the dough and shape the tart: Once the dough has chilled for at least 20 minutes, remove it from the bowl and roll it into a log on your clean surface. Cut off about 1/3 of the dough for the top of the pasta flora. With the remaining 2/3 of the dough, gently roll it into a circle. This larger piece will form the base of your tart. Press the dough into the baking pan, spreading it evenly along the bottom and sides. You don’t need to go all the way up the sides—just about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, as the dough will expand while baking. Trim any excess dough from the sides and combine it with the smaller dough ball for the top.

STEP 7: Create the top dough strips: The creativity here is up to you! But you can create a lattice design, cut shapes out using a cookie cutter, or roll the dough into long strips. You’ll do this with the 1/3 dough that was set aside earlier.  You can roll out the dough using a rolling pin to make it easier to slice the dough into strips, or you can use a cookie cutter.

 STEP 8: Add the apricot tart filling: Use the back of a spoon to spread the apricot filling out on top of the tart crust.

STEP 9: Design the tart: Brush the top pieces with egg wash (this is optional but will produce a more golden brown crust). Place the cut-out pie crust pieces or strips on top of the apricot filling. Press them slightly into the filling and attach them to the sides of the pastry dough in the baking pan.

STEP 10: Bake the apricot tart: Place the tart in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the pasta flora to cool for at least 30 minutes so that the jam can settle before slicing with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with icing sugar, and enjoy!

STORING & SERVING

Pasta flora can be enjoyed at room temperature or cold from the fridge.  I normally store any leftover pasta flora in the fridge, which will still taste delicious for a few days.  Before serving, let the pasta flora come to room temperature and sprinkle with fresh icing sugar.

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