Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

Ingredients:

Dried fruit – a mix or just your favorite – a couple handfuls
Rum – whatever kind you like
Pillsbury pie crust
Your favorite jelly, jam, or preserves – Roscoe recommends apricot

Guys Have A Sweet Tooth, Too

Duh…

Yes, guys need something sweet every now and then, and we’re not just talking about the occasional peck on the cheek from our wife/girlfriend/babe of the moment (like that would be enough). We’re talking about something that satisfies that sometimes uncontrollable urge. That desire to devour something after a savory meal that takes our hunger away and makes us forget all about food (at least for a little while). Hey, a Snickers and a cup of coffee will do it in the afternoon, keep us going until dinner (or at least Happy Hour), but what’ll do it for real, after that linguini carbonara or a good steak? Or even that great cheeseburger and fries? (You notice we don’t mention pizza here; being the perfect food, pizza satisfies totally, eliminating the need for dessert). But for those times you’re not dining on pizza and you need something sweet…

You Say You Can Make This Yourself?

Of course you can, you’re Cookin’ With Roscoe. But you don’t bake? No problem, you do now. Listen, a good chocolate cake (if you can ever get one) will usually do the trick. We’ve had a really great recipe for a Southern Red Velvet Cake (see our Forums for the recipe), and we’ve eaten it, and it’s delicious and definitely does the trick. But… to get a great cake you’ve either got to know a genius baker, or start measuring: A cup of this, a teaspoon of that, and if you make a mistake you’re sunk, and so is your cake. A lot of trouble. And not much fun (unless your wife/girlfriend/babe of the moment likes to help spread the chocolate frosting around, but that’s for another blog).

Fruit Is Nature’s Dessert

And anything soaked in rum has to be good. So put the two together, and you’re getting close to a natural phenomenon. Add a Pillsbury pie crust (if it’s good enough for Roscoe’s Mom, it’s good enough for anybody), and you’ve got a winner.

Here’s What You Do:

Get out your bottle of rum, taste it to make sure it’s still good. While you’re making that determination (this may take more than one test, so be patient), chop up some dried fruit. Roscoe recommends a mix: apricots, raisins, apples, plums, pears, etc. Costco has a good mixture, their Orchard Delight, but use whatever you like. You can even do this with just one kind of fruit: all apple, or all apricot, or all plum, it’s great however you make it (how can you go wrong with a recipe like this?). Put the chopped fruit in a bowl, pour some of that rum all over it (you’ve probably decided the rum is okay to use by now, good decision, rum rarely goes bad). Mix the fruit and rum, cover it and let it sit for at least a couple of hours (a couple of days works well, too).

Roll Out The Dough

It’s pretty easy, since each crust comes wrapped individually (thank you, Pillsbury). Set the dough on a non-stick baking sheet.

Dump The Fruit/Rum Mixture Onto The Dough

Just spoon it on in a clump, then maybe spread it out a little, leaving a few inches of dough all around. Then simply fold the remaining dough onto the fruit, leaving an inch or two open in the middle. Now comes the hard part:

Put The Baking Sheet In The Oven

400 degrees for 30 minutes. The crust will be golden brown. Now it gets even harder:

Take The Baking Sheet Out Of The Oven

While your beautiful tart is cooling, mix some apricot jelly (or use your own favorite) with a little of that rum (if there’s any left), and spread it on top of the crust. You can use a brush for this, or just the spoon or fork you used to mix it together (try not to lick it until you’re finished spreading).

Serve Warm Or Cold

A scoop of ice cream with each piece works magic, especially if you’re serving it to your wife/girlfriend/babe of the moment. If you’re serving it to all three at once, you’re really…

Cookin’ With Roscoe