Ready Steady Bake

Its been too hot to do a 'Big Shop' so I have been popping into the supermarket at the end of day to try and pick up exactly what I need for the next 24 hours only.  I am not used to shopping this way, so I have ended up with some random stuff left in my fridge!  Today, a slight breeze picked up around 5.30, meaning that for the first time in ages, I thought I might be able to stand being in the kitchen for more than half an hour, and decided to make a pud.  

Ready Steady Cook used to be one of my favourite programmes when I was a teenager (oh, dear, was that an admission to being very SAD), and I still like rising to the challenge of taking five ingredients and making something up.

Today I had in my possession:

Two punnets of apricots
A tub of mascapone
half a packet of amaretti biscuits
A lemon
Allotment raspberries (my Mum's allotment - I wish I had time!)

And this is what my daughter and I came up with:

Hottest Day Apricot Shortcake

Serves 4 - 8 (depending on how many people have seconds!)

Ingredients:
40g amaretti biscuits
60g plain flour
40g butter, cut into cubes
20g caster sugar
One and a half punnets of apricots, sliced
juice of half a lemon
250g Tub of mascapone (you probably won't use all of it)
2 Tbsp demerara sugar

1. Tip the biscuits into your Kitchen Aid bowl (or equivalent) and bash them with the end of a rolling pin to crush them.
2. Add the flour and caster sugar and butter and whizz for a few minutes until moist and chunky crumbs are formed.  You can rub in with your fingertips if you don't have a whizzy machine.
3. Tip the crumb mixture into a greased shallow flan tin and press firmly onto the base with a fork.
4. Cover with the apricots.  You can arrange them if you like or just throw them on.
5. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.  
6. Dot with mascapone (I recommend using a little bit more than is showing in the pic!).
7. Bake in the oven at 190 for about 30 mins.  Cool in the tin for fifteen minutes or so.  The shortcake stays warm (particularly on a hot day) but is easier to serve and less likely to break up if you leave it for a bit.  Mine was ready just before I served our first course, so I left it on the side while we ate that and then it was perfect.
8. Cut into eight pieces and serve warm in slices with mascapone and raspberries.

The verdict:  

"I love the base, but I don't like the apricots or the mascapone" (Fussy daughter)
"Can I have more?" Three times over (not so fussy daughter)
"Interesting and tasty base; more moist than a normal shortcake base, but still with that 'crunch' factor.  The apricots blend beautifully with the mascapone and the raspberries.  Definitely one to repeat" (Me)

Slice your apricots thickly

Whizz the dried ingredients

Grease your flan tin

Press the crumble mixture into the flan tin

Arrange the apricots on top and sprinkle with sugar, lemon juice and dot with mascapone

Straight out of the oven