Apricots, frangipane and rosemary Crostata

Here in Vicenza today is a beautiful day, the sun is shining but the air is fresh and crisp: in recent days there have been thunderstorms that, as they say in our country, "have broken time" and since then the violent heat should not come back anymore.
The plants that color my balcony suffered, a month ago, a collapse due to high temperatures: they lost all the white flowers covering the underlying lawn with petals, giving it the appearance of a pois dress a bit retro, vintage. Only the leaves remained, a little crumpled up on themselves: I tried to recover them and thanks to the return of the fresh and good fertilizer, I was rewarded with a new more powerful and luxuriant flowering than before.
My plants reflected my feelings: I felt myself crumpled and dried up by the heat, even my thoughts struggle to flow if they are fogged up and certainly the desire to cook was not among my priorities.
The holiday in Livigno allowed me to breathe and the day after I returned I felt again the desire to bake a cake and use seasonal ingredients before it is too late, before regretting not having eaten enough to remember the flavor even in winter.
The fruit that I preferred this summer was the apricot: I have eaten several, for a snack at work because they are easy to open in two without the use of a knife, in some sweet-smelling, even grilled with ice cream. They are also delicious with savory pairings, for example with primosale cheese: the chef Cogo, at the Bistrò Garibaldi in Vicenza, proposed them with wholemeal pasta and sea urchins, for example.

I love them with rosemary.

The pulp of the apricot with the heat of the oven melts, relaxes and absorbs the aromas that are next to it: the rosemary, as it generously scents a potato pan or a crispy baked chicken, gives the balsamic flavor to the apricot you will hear and ask for another slice of this cake.

Prepare the pastry: in a bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt, then cut the butter into cubes and add it too. Working with your fingertips let the butter be absorbed into the flour, without hurry, until it becomes like wet sand.
Now add the eggs and work only for the time to compact the dough, form a ball, flatten it a little and put it in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap.

In the meantime, prepare the frangipane: in a bowl, mix the butter and sugar with the electric whisk, until you see it frothy, then add the almond flour and the 00 flour and give it another round of whips. Now add the eggs, always beating, only the time needed to incorporate them.

Wash the apricots, remove the stone and cut it into not too thin slices.

Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin in a layer, 2/3 mm thick, and cover a cake tin. I used a cast iron skillet and I loved the result!

Pour the frangipane cream into the pastry, arrange the apricots in order and place on top the two sprigs of rosemary: bake at 180 degrees for 40/45 minutes.
In the end, give heat from below, if your oven allows you to cook the bottom well.

Before slicing, wait until it is cold, sprinkle with icing sugar, remove the sprigs of rosemary and serve the guests.