A Dessert for Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was a very special occasion in my life. Dre's parents met my Mom and her partner for the first time... Dre's parents had already met my Dad and Step Mom last year; what made it so much easier was that they met without us being there... So, I didn't have to worry about a thing :) (My Dad and Step Mom own a guest house in Plettenberg Bay, called Laird's Lodge, which Dre's parents went to stay at for a few days). My brain is getting tied just explaining the intricacies of my family dynamics - I have a huge extended family, which I love to bits!

Getting back to this Mother's Day... I wanted it to be special for the mothers as well as hoping it would be a memorable occasion for all of us.

I set the table with care, placing individual Woolies cupcake choccies at each place setting, scattering some pink flowers across the table and making use of lovely serviettes, pink of course :)

I not only had to set the mood however, the dinner needed to end with a fantastic dessert. I was cooking in my usual allergy free way, which meant that the dessert would be tricky...

I had an epiphany late friday afternoon and filled with excitement, I suddenly knew what I was going to make.

Baked Apricots with an Almond Crust:
(Serves 8)

4 Tins Halved Apricots (tinned apricots strictly speaking, contain yeast, therefore this dessert would be better with fresh apricots, but I couldn't find any)
2 Cups Almonds, Ground into Crumbs
4 Slices Rice Bread, Made into Crumbs (This can be left out)
2 - 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2- 4 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

Soya Cream for Serving

Directions:

Heat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius
Mix the ground almonds, bread crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together
Put the apricots into an oven proof dish, or individual ramekins
Top with some of the apricot juice, about half to a full can, to keep the dish moist while cooking
Sprinkle the almond mixture over the top
Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until a golden crust has formed over the top, be careful of burning
Serve with a dollop of soya cream

The dessert is simple, but it was just right to end off the evening. I am happy to report that an enjoyable evening was had by all and the meeting of the families was a huge success :)