Apricot dartois
Ingredients
For the frangipane [Makes 1.15kg/2lbs 10oz. I halved the recipe and still had enough for 3 portions]
- 250 g/9oz butter at room temperature
- 500 g/1lb 2oz 'tant pour tant' equal quantities of ground almonds and icing sugar sifted together
- 50 g/2oz plain flour
- 5 eggs
- 50 ml/2 fl oz rum optional
For the dartois
- 1 500g pack of ready-made puff pastry or you could make your own
- 150 g/5oz frangipane (ingredients above)
- eggwash 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 soup spoon of milk and a pinch of salt
- 1 tin apricot halves drained (or you could poach your own)
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the frangipane
- Beat the butter until very soft
- Still beating, add the tant pour tant and flour
- Add the eggs - one at a time - beating well between each addition until the frangipane is light an homogeneous
- Stir in the rum
For the dartois
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll 225g/8oz of the pastry into a 27cm x 12cm/11" x 5" rectangle
- Roll this pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it on to a baking sheet lightly dampened with cold water. Prick the pastry with a fork
- Using a spoon, spread the frangipane along the length of the pastry leaving a clear 2cm/¾" border on either side
- Brush these pastry borders with egg-wash
- Pat dry the apricots and arrange them on the frangipane
- Roll out the remaining pastry into a 27cm x 13cm/11" x 5½" rectangle
- Fold the pastry in half lengthways without applying pressure
- Make incisions down the length of the pastry about every 4mm/⅙" with the heel of a chef's knife, leaving a 2cm/¾" strip intact on the two outside edges
- Unfold the pastry into its original shape and drape it over the rolling pin and unroll it on to the apricot-filled rectangle
- Lightly press the edges together with your fingertips and refrigerate the dartois for 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 175ºC/345ºF/gas mark 4
- Using a chef's knife, trim off about 3mm/⅛" in pastry along the length of the rectangle
- Delicately and sparingly brush the top of the pastry with egg wash
- Liberally brush the sides with more egg wash
- With the tip of a small, sharp knife, make light, diagonal incisions in the borders, then along the edges
- Bake for 25 minutes. Increase the temperature to 195ºC/380ºF/gas mark 6, dust the dartois with icing sugar and return it to the oven for 1-2 minutes, or place it under a hot salamander/grill for a few seconds until beautifully glazed
Roux recommends serving it with a little jug of red fruit coulis. I prefer it with pouring cream.
Adapted from Desserts: A Lifelong Passion