Makes 6
INGREDIENTS
For the almond cream:
60g unsalted butter
50g sugar
¼ tsp vanilla essence
1½ eggs
15g wholemeal flour
65g ground almonds
For the pastry cream:
140ml + 10ml milk
50g whipping cream
50g sugar
1½ tsp corn flour
1 tsp custard powder
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp unsalted butter
For the crumble topping:
150g plain flour
150g sugar
150g unsalted butter
150g ground almonds
350g frozen apricots*, thawed slightly and chopped
3 tsp brown sugar
A pinch of ground cinnamon
Honey, to taste
A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar
Crème fraiche, to garnish
*All ingredients are available at baking supply stores like Phoon Huat, Blk 107 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-270, tel: 6353-9136
DIRECTIONS
1 To make the almond cream, mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla essence in an electric mixer. Add the eggs gradually, then the flour. Stir in the almonds and set aside.
2 To make the pastry cream, bring 140ml milk, the cream and sugar to boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
3 In another bowl, mix in 10ml milk with the cornflour and custard powder, then add the egg. Strain the mixture.
4 Stir half the boiled cream mixture into the strained mixture. Then add the rest of the boiled cream mixture and whisk until thickened. Fold in the butter.
5 Measure out 225g almond cream and 75g pastry cream, and mix well. Pour this into six 6cm ring moulds placed on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and chill for 30min.
6 Mix all the ingredients for the crumble topping.
7 In a separate bowl, mix the apricots, brown sugar, cinnamon and honey.
8 Preheat the oven to 160 deg C. Take the rings out of the fridge and top each with the apricot mixture, then the crumble topping. Finish with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
9 Bake for 50min. Remove the moulds and top the crumble with crème fraiche.
This article was originally published in Simply Her January 2015.