GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES | Apricot Frangipane Crumble Bars

Sometimes it makes my head spin how fast the seasons come and go. It’s already apricot season again, if you can believe it. I can’t complain, though, because they’re my favorite fruit for baking. They have a firm texture, just enough juiciness, and a great tart flavor. They work really well for bars like these because that flavor doesn’t get muffled by all those wonderful frangipane crumbles

Truth is, when I eat apricots I think of my mom. She died almost 21 years ago. Way too early for her, and way too early for me. An entire person could have grown up and blossomed in that gaping span of time. I know that because she died just after my youngest daughter was born, and she’s turning 21 next month.

I think of my mom because the last thing I made for her right before she died was a fresh
apricot tart. Her cancer had hit that critical point where it was so widespread there was nothing anyone could do for her. And because of all the medication and radiation treatments she had no appetite left for
anything. One of the things that bugged her the most was that nothing tasted good. Nothing appealed to her, and it seemed like all the pleasures of life were slowly draining from her body and spirit. But, as it turned out, she devoured my apricot tart, and it gave her one last unexpected burst of enjoyment. That’s the enduring detail, anyway, from those last few days that has stayed with me ever since.

I remember climbing a ladder in my sister’s back yard and plucking the best looking apricots from her tree. I sliced them up, baked them in a tart and offered it to the woman who fed me so well for so many years. I was the oldest of three daughters, and we didn’t always see eye to eye, but I was faithfully the first one to the dinner table every night. I was a good eater, and I appreciated her cooking. How lucky that I had the privilege of giving her the last delicious bite she had on this earth.

It just shows you the power that really good ingredients, cooked from scratch, can have. Of course working with a passion and a purpose doesn’t hurt. If your apricots are ripe and vaguely local, these crumble bars won’t disappoint you. Frangipane is a classic French filling made with ground almonds. The flavor and texture is one of the greats. It’s usually made with eggs, too, but I left them out because I’m going for a crisper shortbread texture in these bars. If you’re interested, this Chocolate Chip Frangipane with Bittersweet Ganache was an early recipe on my blog, and one of my favorites.

Apricot Frangipane Crumble Bars
oven to 350F
1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or exract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup almond flour, or almond meal (you can grind your own almonds in a processor)
about 6 or 7 apricots, thinly sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
Crumble topping
(reserved 1 cup of the shortbread dough)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cream the butter and sugar together until nice and fluffy. Add in the extracts.
Whisk together the salt, flour and almond meal, and add it slowly to the butter and sugar until you get a crumbly dough. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture.
Line an 8×8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper, with edges overlapping the sides if you want to remove the squares from the pan for easier cutting. If not, lightly grease the pan. Pat the dough into the bottom with your hands, or use the back of a measuring cup to tamp down the dough. Don’t pack it down super hard, just get it spread out and relatively flat.
Arrange the apricot slices evenly over the top of the dough. Double up a little if you want.
Squeeze the lemon juice evenly over the apricots.
Make the crumble topping by mixing the sliced almonds with the reserved dough. Lightly mix with your fingertips, forming large crumbs. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the apricots.
Bake for about 40 minutes until lightly golden.
Cool slightly before cutting.

I’ve got a little series going of these fruit and nut crumble squares, and they’ve muscled out muffins and scones as my breakfast treat of choice. Check out my Lemon Macadamia or Blackberry Pecan.

Have a delicious Mother’s Day Weekend!

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