Nan’s apricot shortcake
Ready in 1¼ hours Serves 8-10
FILLING
800g apricots de-stoned
½ cup water
¾ cup sugar
½ cup finely diced dried apricots
2 Tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 Tbsp water
PASTRY
2 cups flour
½ cup custard powder
1 tsp baking powder ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup sour cream
120g butter
1 egg
TO FINISH
1 Tbsp caster sugar
Halve and de-stone apricots. In a medium pot, heat water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once syrup boils, add apricot halves and simmer gently until tender, 6-10 minutes. Take off the heat, drain and set aside, reserving the syrup back into the cooking pot. Add dried apricots to syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened (about 15 minutes). Allow to cool then add cornflour slurry, return to heat and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside while making pastry.
Place flour, custard powder, baking powder, brown sugar, sour cream and butter in a food processor and blitz until mixture forms fine crumbs. Add egg and pulse just until dough comes together. Test by pinching a little between your fingers; it should hold together. Turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide dough in half and roll out to fit the base (not the sides) of a sponge roll tin. The easiest way to do this is to make templates by drawing around the base of the tin on to baking paper. Roll the dough directly on the paper and trim to fit the marked-out rectangles.
Preheat oven to 180C fan bake. Line the base of the sponge roll tin with one half of the pastry (baking paper side down). Arrange apricot halves flat side down on the base and pour over the thickened syrup mixture. Invert remaining pastry on top to fully cover the fruit filling then remove top sheet of baking paper. Sprinkle with caster sugar and bake until golden and crisp, about 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool a little then cut in the tin. It can be transported in the tin and is excellent served warm or cold.
NOTE: My nan was a legendary baker. She made this lovely shortcake throughout the year with whatever fresh fruit was at hand. It’s fabulous with gooseberries in early spring, apricots and boysenberries in summer and feijoas, apples or tamarillos in autumn. If you use bottled or tinned apricots (1 x 825g can apricot halves in syrup, drained) you can make it all year round.
Match this with ... Passage Rock Late Harvest Waiheke Island Viognier 2021 375ml ($43.50)
I can’t go past the word “apricot” in anything without having a sudden urge to hunt down the nearest bottle of viognier. And when said apricot sits sweetly atop a sexy shortcake base, then I’m on the nearest ferry out to Waiheke to through a glass or six of the new and deliciously honeyed Passage Rock dessert version. Perfumed with ripe mandarin, pear and soft creamy, oak notes and oozing sweet, caramelised citrus peel and spice to finish. Yum! waihekewinecentre.co.nz