Apricot Parfait Pie Recipe

Make Almond Pastry Shell: Grease and lightly flour a 9- by-l 1/2 -inch round layer-cake pan or a 9-inch pie plate.

In medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, almond extract, salt, and egg. Using wooden spoon, blend until smooth. Add almonds and flour; mix well.

Turn dough into prepared pan. With spatula, spread evenly on bottom and side of pan. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake shell 30 minutes, or until light-golden. Let cool 15 minutes, in pan, on wire rack. Then gently turn out onto rack; cool com- pletely.

Make Filling: Drain apricots, reserving liquid. Press apricots through sieve, to make a puree; or blend in blender, at high speed, 1 minute.

In small saucepan, bring to boiling 1 cup reserved liquid. Remove from heat. Add gelatin and lemon juice, stirring until dissolved. Add ice cream, cut into 6 pieces, stirring until melted. Chill until mixture mounds when dropped from spoon-about 20 minutes.

With wire whisk or rubber scraper, fold in apricot puree until blended. Turn into cooled pastry shell. Refrigerate 2 hours, or until firm.

Just before serving, with rotary beater, whip cream until stiff. Use to fill pastry bag with fluted tip. Decorate top of pie to resemble lattice.