Butter cake with apricots

Boterkoek met abrikozen

300 grams (11 oz.) all purpose flour
250 grams (9 oz.) white berry, superfine or bar sugar
250 grams (9 oz.) chilled butter
1 egg
50 grams (2 oz.) steeped apricots
50 grams (2 oz.) hazelnuts
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/395ºF. Cut the apricots in pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts. Strip the rosemary needles from the sprig and finely chop the needles. 

Over a wide bowl, sift the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into three patties and put on top of the flour/sugar. Using two knives, cut the butter into little pieces through the flour. Add apricots, hazelnuts, rosemary and a pinch of salt and hand knead the dough into a cohesive ball.

Grease a cookie sheet with the remaining butter. Spread out the dough and make a 1½ cm (½”) high ‘cookie.’ Beat the egg, add a tablespoon of water and beat it some more. Brush the top of the cake with the egg and bake for about 20 minutes until the butter cake is golden brown and done. Let cool before serving.