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1
You will need to start 3 or possibly 4 days in advance.
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2
Peel just the skin of the washed, dry orange with a potato peeler (skin, no white pith).
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3
Boil this in a syrup made from the sugar and water for 5 min and then dry off on a wire rack for 4 hrs then boil again in a fresh syrup and dry again on the wire rack till brittle (about 48 hrs).
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4
To serve, grind in a clean coffee grinder and store in a sealed container.
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5
(We tried using a fan oven set on the lowest setting
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6
(100C) with the door slightly ajar to allow free passage of air and it dry the peel in under 8 hrs).
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7
Cut the fresh apricots into two halves discarding the stone.
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8
Soak the fruit halves in the brandy overnight and prepare the filo by cutting into long strips about 3 inches wide by about 10 inches long
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9
(approximately).
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10
It is easier to roll the triangles up across the entire width of the packet-made length of the filo and then cut away the extra inch or possibly so.
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11
The idea is to have 3-5 layers of filo to hold the fruit.
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12
More, and the inner layers tend not to bake properly and end up with a papery texture.
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13
Too little and the parcel gets soggy and falls apart.
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14
Paint each strip of filo with melted butter and placing a half-apricot at one end roll up each fold into little triangular parcels, rather like a samosa shape till the 4 or possibly 5 layers have been folded up.
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15
Cut away any excess 'paint' a final dollop of melted butter in top and bake them on a floured baking tray for 12-15 min at 200C/400F/gas6) till the top is a light golden colour.
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16
Using a palette knife or possibly slice, lift the filos carefully onto a wire rack to let them cold slightly and dust liberally with the powdered orange peel.
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17
Best eaten while still hot.
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18
These will keep, but after some hrs tend to get moist from the filo and soggy.
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19
Perfect with after dinner coffee.
