We've had a lovely long weekend! It was my daughter's birthday on Friday and since the weather was warm, we decided to go to the beach! It's some years since I've been to the East Coast but there are some lovely beaches on this side of the UK one of which is Cayton Bay.
It was very quiet, the sun was shining, we had a picnic on the beach and it turned out to be a fantastic day!
Apricot Slice GF SCD
350g ground almonds (almond flour)
90g organic butter or coconut butter
1- 2 tblsps cold water
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
250g organic dried apricots
320ml 100% freshly squeezed orange juice
60g raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
Measure out the ground almonds and pour into the food processor bowl. Cut the butter or coconut butter into small pieces and add to the almonds with the bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Pulse a few times until the butter and the flour start to come together. Starting with 1 tablespoon, add the cold water. Pulse a few more times until the pastry forms a ball, adding a little more water if necessary.
Wrap in greaseproof paper or foil and leave in the fridge to chill.
To make the filling, tip the apricots into a pan and pour on the orange juice. I've recently been given some digital scales and I love the fact that I can re-set to zero and measure in any unit.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool down for ten minutes then blend with a hand blender or in a processor until smooth and stir in the cinnamon and the raisins. Leave on the side to cool down.
We buy Sun-maid raisins because they have no additives or preservatives.
Set the oven to 160°C and lightly grease an 18cm or smaller square tin with butter. I use a loose-based tin because it's much easier to get the slice out. Divide the pastry in half and press one half into the tin then spread the apricot mixture over the pastry.
Now comes the tricky part! The trouble with almond flour pastry is being able to roll it so it stays in one piece. I've almost mastered the art! Tear off a large piece of greaseproof paper longer than double the size of your tin. Lay it on the work surface and place the pastry in the middle of the left half of the paper. Fold the other half of the paper over the pastry and lightly roll the pastry to size over the paper.
Since the pastry sticks to the paper, lift the paper and position it over the filling. Gently separate the pastry from the paper by peeling the paper away from the pastry.
If it doesn't come away cleanly don't worry, just patch the areas where necessary.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C , then reduce the heat to 160°C for 5 to 10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Keep your eye on it for the last five minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin or serve warm.
