I got a new buddy in the kitchen - -My Mario Batali wind up toy! I thought only action heroes comes with a toy -- apparently Mario has one too - -Super MB to the kitchen rescue - nice! He was flipping a steak on his right arm and shaking a bottle of olive oil on the other hand --- I left him for one minute and the sous chef behind him started to chew his head - -yikes!
Anyway, we wanted to check out a new store at the mall yesterday and to our dismay, the grand opening is not set until October yet, so we ended up at TJ Maxx where I got a jar of apricot and strawberry jam instead (duh - -I don't need it - -but at $2.99/jar - -sure!). How many times have I bought a jam/jelly and no one is eating it . Fortunately as I was flipping through my Batali pages -- hmmm..apricot jam was used as a base to this pie ....
Mario B's version: Page 455
Maria B's version:
I used store bought pastry dough for this recipe but if you plan to make one from scratch, simply combine and knead 1-3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup ground almond, 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1 stick of butter and 1 large egg .
I baked the pie crust for 10 minutes before I placed the filling (and then fully bake it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes)
This is like a meringue pie but the taste of apricot underneath the filling creates a great tart flavored contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate. Also, I think 3/4 cups of sugar is too much! Next time, I'll probably use 1/2 cup instead.
FILLING:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cups finely chopped semisweet chocolate
2 cups finely ground toasted almonds
1/2 cup apricot jam
HERE'S HOW:
I love Mario Batali. Great concept for a blog. i love it. your food looks terrific.
Posted by: MBT Sandals | 07/13/2011 at 09:09 AM