One of the most celebrated dates on the French calendar is the14th of July — the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, which signalled the beginning of the French Revolution.
It is a day of leisurely family activities and celebrations. In the evening in Paris, a grand concert takes place and around 11pm the sky explodes with a magnificent firework display which features a different theme each year.
I'm a great devotee of French cuisine and the respect that the French people have for food. So most years my husband and I hold a soirée — either drinks or dinner — for friends on or around the 14th of July.
Ingredients
| 2 sheets ready-rolled flaky pastry |
| ½ cup apricot jam, sieved if lumpy |
| 2 Tbsp gin |
| 4 apples |
| ½ cup pistachio nuts, lightly toasted and chopped |
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Directions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line one or two baking trays with baking paper.
- Using an 10cm diameter bowl or similar, cut out 4 rounds from each pastry sheet. Place on the paper-lined trays. Mix the gin into the jam, then brush the rounds with the jam mix.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Place the slices over the pastry circles, overlapping them slightly like scales on a fish. Brush with more jam and sprinkle with the pistachios.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and slightly browned around the edges.
- Excellent served with crème fraiche, whipped cream or ice cream.
