Dairy Free: Apricot and Almond Parfaits

Sometimes, what we need in life is emergency pudding. Whether it's one of our fabulous mug cakes or the ever-miraculous 5 minute ice cream, we're all over having a dessert from cupboard to bowl in less time that it would take to trudge to the corner shop and back.

I'm calling these little pots of poached apricots, almond crumble and maple-syrup almond praline parfaits because it sounded nicer than anything else I can think of. They're dairy free, gluten free and low-refined sugar (especially if you leave out the amaretto) but you end up with a light, satisfyingly sweet dessert in no time. In summer, fresh apricots would be divine in this, but when they're out of season, dried are perfectly fine.

Dairy Free Apricot and Almond Parfaits (Makes 4 small or 3 large)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

You will need: 

For the poached apricots: 

• 200g dried apricots
• 4 tbsp amaretto (you can replace with water and 1/2 tsp each of almond and vanilla extract)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the topping: 

• 75g ground almonds
• 3 tbsp nut butter (I used hazelnut - cashew would work too, but almond might overdo it slightly)
• 2 tbsp honey
• Pinch of sea salt

For the almond praline:

• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 handful flaked almonds

Make it!

The apricots:

1. Place the apricots, amaretto, cinnamon and 200ml water in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. 
2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the apricots are tender and sticky. Set aside. 

The crumble topping:

1. Place the ground almonds into a small, dry saucepan and toast over a medium heat for a couple of minutes, until they start to turn golden. Be careful because they'll burn if you take your eye off them. 
2. Tip into a bowl and add the nut butter, honey and sea salt. Bring together with a fork into a crumbly texture. 

The almond praline:

1. Place the maple syrup along with 2 tbsp water in a small pan.
2. Set over a medium heat and begin to simmer until the liquid has started to reduce, around 3-5 minutes. 
3. Drop in the handful of flaked almonds and quickly stir around until they are all coated. Stir gently in the pan for another minute or two, then tip out onto a piece of baking parchment or a non-stick surface. This stuff is addictive, so try not to eat all of it when 'testing'...
4. To assemble, place a layer of the apricots in the bottom of the ramekin (God bless those chocolate puddings that come in the glass ones), squish them down slightly, then spoon on a layer of the crumble. 
5. Serve with your favourite dairy-free yoghurt or ice cream and scatter the almond praline over the top.