Italian Desserts Recipes - Apricot Pastry Boats (Crostate all' Albicocca) Recipe

Ingredients

• 225 g/8 oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

• 100 g/4 oz/1/2 cup unsalted (sweet) butter

• 75 g/3 oz/1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar

• 2 egg yolks

• 5 ml/1 tsp butter for greasing

• 90 ml/6 tbsp apricot preserve (conserve)

• 75 g/3 oz/3/4 cup pine nuts

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Method:

1. Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the sugar and gradually blend in the egg yolks. Add 30 ml/2 tbsp water if necessary to make a soft pastry (paste).

3. Roll out the pastry and use to line 10 greased, boat-shaped tartlet tins (patty pans).

4. Line the pastry with greaseproof (waxed) paper and fill with baking beans.

5. Place on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 8-10 minutes until brown.

6. Put the preserve in a saucepan and warm gently. Remove the beans and divide the pine nuts between each pastry case.

7. Fill with the apricot preserve and leave to cool.