Apricots à l'ancienne

Á l’ancienne literally means old or old fashioned; perhaps, more appropriately, traditional.  This dessert is complex but not too difficult to make.  It has complex flavours from the rum, the fruit and from the lemon in the sponge.  It is usually served hot but it is also delicious cold.

Preparation Time              1  Hr

Cooking Time                 40  Mins

Elapsed Time                   2  Hrs

Ingredients

For     8  portions

450 gms          Apricots  - halved and stoned

For final assembly

60 gms            Almonds  - chopped

2 tbs               Butter  - melted

6 tbs               Rum

3 tbs               Sugar  - caster

For the apple purée

1                    Apple  - peeled, cored and chopped

60 gms            Sugar

For the sauce

4 tbs               Apricot jam

2 tbs               Rum

4 tbs               Water

For the sponge

½ tsp             Baking powder

2                    Eggs

40 gms            Flour  - self-raising

½ tsp             Lemon rind  - grated

80 gms            Sugar  - caster

For the syrup

170 gms          Sugar  - vanilla

30 cl               Water

Method

To prepare the sponge…

Break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar, and beat until thick over a gentle heat.  Remove from the heat and continue whisking for another 5 minutes.  Add the lemon rind and fold in the flour mixed with the baking powder.  Turn at once into a cake tin.  Bake in an oven at 190°C for 20 minutes or until the cake is cooked.  Put the sponge into a flan dish.

To prepare the apple purée…

Cooke the apple with the sugar until soft and purée-like.  If necessary add a little water.

To prepare the apricots…

Make a syrup by heating the water and sugar.  Cook the apricots in this syrup until soft – about 10 minutes depending on how ripe they are.

To assemble the dessert…

Pour the rum on to the sponge.  Spread the apple purée over the sponge and arrange the apricots on top.  Sprinkle with the almonds, sugar and a little melted butter.  Put into a hot oven (220°C) until brown on top.

To make the sauce…

Heat the apricot jam and water together until boiling.  Take off the heat and add the rum.

Serve portions of the dessert with the sauce separately.

Wine recommendations

Conventional

          Monbazillac

Interesting

          Barsac

          Jurançon doux

          Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise