Tart Shell:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flavorless vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 stick (1/4 pound) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Filling:
1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
1 ripe pineapple
1/4 apricot preserves

Directions:
Make the tart shell:
Blend the egg yolk, sugar and salt in a 1 cup liquid measure. Add enough cold water to measure 1/4 cup. Blend in the oil.

Put the flour in a mixer fitted with the dough paddle. Scatter the butter on top. Blend on low speed until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Stir the liquids, beat into the bowl in a thin stream and continue to mix until the dough masses together. (This dough can also be made by hand or in a food processor.) Gather the dough into a ball, press into a 6 inch disk; wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, until cold but still malleable.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a round an even 1/8 inch thick. Fit into an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing the dough against the sides of the pan without stretching it. Trim the excess to leave about 1 inch all around. Fold hem in and press against the pan to reinforce the sides. Neatly trim the crust even with the rim of the pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or freeze, before filling and/or baking. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the chilled tart shell on a baking sheet. Line with aluminum foil and fill to the rim with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the shell in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rim of the shell is dry when the foil is pulled back and the walls have shrunk slightly away from the pan. Remove the foil and weights. Return the shell to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is dry all over. Slide the tart pan off the baking sheet onto a rack and let the shell cool before filling.

Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the tart sponge filling, cream the butter and sugar until light. Beat in 1 of the eggs and then half the flour; add the remaining egg and flour, beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Scrape the batter into the cooled tart shell and slide it onto a baking sheet. Bake the tart in the center of the oven until top is golden, about 20 minutes.

Slide the tart from the baking sheet onto a rack. Pierce with a fork every 1/2 inch over the entire surface. Let the tart stand until cool before unmolding.

No more than 2 hours before serving, peel, core and slice the pineapple into 1/4 inch thick wedges, working over a bowl to catch the juices. Brush some of the juices over the sponge filling. Arrange the pineapple in a pretty flower pattern, overlapping the slices and working from the outside to the center of the tart.

In a small saucepan, melt the apricot preserves with 2 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice over low heat, stirring until smooth. Simmer for 1 minute. Strain through a sieve. With a pastry brush, paint a thin glaze over the top and exposed sides of the fruit and along the rim of the shell.

Makes one 11 inch tart.

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