Recipe - Almond And Apricot Flan

FOR THE APRICOT TOPPING
575 g Apricots
225 ml Water
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
50 g Caster sugar
2 tablespoon Apricot brandy; (or use
Amaretto to
; emphasis the almond
; flavour)

FOR THE PASTRY
200 g Plain flour
115 g Butter or margarine
25 g Caster sugar
1 teaspoon Finely grated lemon zest
1 Egg yolk; approx 1 tbsp cold
; water

FOR THE FILLING
3 tablespoon Apricot jam
85 g Butter or margarine
85 g Caster sugar
2 lg Eggs; 1 egg white
100 g Ground almonds
25 g Plain flour

1 Halve and stone the apricots. Put the water, lemon juice and sugar
into a large frying pan or wide saucepan. Stir over a low heat until
the sugar has dissolved, add the apricot brandy and apricots, with
the cut sides downwards.

2 Poach gently for 1015 minutes, or until softened but still a
perfect shape. Remove the pan from the heat, turn the apricots over,
so the rounded sides become moistened with the syrup.

3 Remove about 450g/1lb apricots for the topping. Liquidise the
remainder with the syrup to make a puree. Preheat oven to
190c/375f/Gas 5 or 180c with a fan oven.

4 Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, rub in the butter or margarine,
add the sugar, lemon zest, egg yolk and enough water to give a firm
rolling consistency. Roll out to a neat shape, wrap and chill for 15
minutes in the refrigerator.

5 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to a round to fit a
2023cm/89" flan ring on an upturned baking tray or a flan tin
(preferably one with a loose base).

6 Chill again for another 15 minutes. Bake the shape blind for just 12
minutes, until slightly firm but still pale in colour. Lower the oven
temperature to 180c/350f/Gas 4 or 170c for a fan oven.

7 Spread the jam over the bottom of the hot pastry. Cream the butter
or margarine with the sugar, beat the eggs and egg white together and
add to the creamed mixture.

8 Fold in the ground almonds and flour. Spoon the almond mixture over
the jam and bake for 2025 minutes or until firm to a gentle touch.

9 Spread the hot almond flan with a little apricot puree, top with the
halved apricots and brush with more puree. Any puree left can be
served as a coulis. Serve warm or cold.

NOTE: If you prefer the apricots hot, prepare them just before the
flan is completely baked. It can be put back into the oven for just a
few minutes.

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Recipe by: Food & Drink

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.