Apricot Raspberry Pavlovas With Sliced Almonds Food

ALMOND AND RASPBERRY SLICE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 1/2 by 8-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper with 1 tablespoon of butter.
• To make the almond topping, combine 5 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with the almonds and milk in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over a low heat until the butter has melted, and then leave the mixture out to cool.
• To make the slice, whip together the remaining 1 stick 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract with an electric beater until pale and creamy. Sift the flour with cornstarch and add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 batches, beating on low speed until just mixed. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove the pastry from the oven and leave it out to cool for 10 minutes.
• Carefully spread the raspberry jam over the pastry base, and then spread the cooled almond topping over the jam. Return the dessert to the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until golden.

ALMOND APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a microwave, melt 1 cup chips; stir until smooth. Set aside. , In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chips and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Spread half of the batter into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Spread with jam., Stir remaining chips into remaining batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls over jam; carefully spread over top. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares; cut squares in half.

APRICOT RASPBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet in middle of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
• Whisk together cornstarch, salt, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round and fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate (4-cup capacity). Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out dough for top crust.
• Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round.
• Stir apricots into sugar mixture until combined, then gently stir in raspberries and spoon filling into shell.
• Cover pie with pastry round and trim with kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Crimp edge decoratively. Brush top of pie with egg and sprinkle all over with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top crust with a sharp small knife.
• Bake pie on hot baking sheet 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes more. Cool pie on a rack at least 2 hours before serving.

APRICOT & RASPBERRY BUCKLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 23cm square tin. For the crumble mix, put 2 tbsp flour and 25g of the butter with the demerara sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Rub between your fingers until it resembles damp breadcrumbs.
• Tip the remaining flour and butter and the caster sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl, then beat until well combined. Lightly fold in half the apricots and raspberries, then spread over the prepared tin.
• Scatter over the remaining fruit, then sprinkle with the crumble mix. Bake for 45-50 mins until light golden, then cool for 10 mins and remove from the tin. Cut into squares and serve warm with cream or ice cream for dessert, or cold for tea.

APRICOT & PISTACHIO PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1/fan 120C and line a baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper. In a small bowl, blend the cornflour, vanilla extract and vinegar to a smooth paste.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff in a separate clean bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar a little at a time to make a thick and glossy meringue, then whisk in the cornflour paste until well combined.Spoon the mixture on to the paper, then spread, without flattening it, to form a 23cm/9in round. Swirl the edges with the back of the spoon to give lovely soft folds and peaks. Scatter half the pistachios over the meringue and bake for 1 hour, by which time it will feel crisp if you tap it. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool with the oven door open.
• Set aside 450g/1lb of the apricots and roughly chop the rest, discarding the stones. Purée the chopped apricots, then push them through a sieve with a metal spoon. Stir in the liqueur and sweeten with 3 tbsp of the icing sugar, or enough to sweeten as you like it.
• Lightly whip the cream so it's soft and billowy, then spoon over the pavlova. Cut the reserved 450g/1lb apricots in half, discard the stones, then cut into wedges. Scatter them over the whipped cream along with the remaining pistachios. Dust with the rest of the icing sugar and serve with the apricot purée.

APRICOT-RASPBERRY FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Make the pate sucree: Lightly beat together egg yolk and ice water in a small bowl until combined.
• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream. Process until mixture just begins to hold together (no longer than 30 seconds).
• Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to a 13-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, folding excess dough into side of pan. Press dough into pan, making sure side is of an even thickness and dough comes up slightly over edge. Trim dough flush with top. Patch any holes or gaps in dough with extra dough if necessary. Using your thumb, press around edge of dough in pan so that dough extends just slightly above rim of pan (to help minimize shrinkage). Prick bottom with fork, and freeze until completely firm, 20 minutes.
• Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and line tart shell with parchment, pressing parchment deep into corners of pan so it is flush with dough, leaving 3 inches overhang; fold overhang over dough edge so that it is not exposed. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake until edge begins to turn golden, about 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove weights and parchment.
• Reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Tent edge with foil, and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: Meanwhile, beat together almond paste, sugar, and salt with a mixer on medium speed until combined and mixture forms small clumps. Beat in butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Scrape down bowl, and beat in flour until just combined.
• Return tart shell to baking sheet. Spread frangipane into cooled tart shell, top with apricots, and scatter with raspberries. Tent edges with foil. Bake until frangipane is puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool 15 minutes.
• To finish: Heat preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until preserves are melted. Pour through a fine sieve into a small bowl, and lightly brush tart with strained preserves. Let tart cool completely.

RASPBERRY ALMONETTES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in oil and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; press one side into chopped almonds. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets, almond side up. Flatten to 1/4-in. thickness with bottom of a glass., Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on pans 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and extract until smooth. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling on bottoms of half of the cookies. Make an indentation in center of each; fill with 1/4 teaspoon preserves. Cover with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.