A Small Slice of Versailles

I second wholeheartedly the comment by PeppaD of Los Angeles. A picture is worth one-thousand words, and there must be paintings of the elaborate deserts served in Versailles at the time of Ancien régime.

Dear NY Times, Please do a follow-up article (with photos) about the Visitors to Versailles pastries served at the evening event referenced in the article. Thank you.

How interesting. I immediately read this article based on the headline and photo. I was in Versailles, only once, in 1971. After visiting the palace, which I have very little memory of, I went into the city/village itself to a bakery/ cafe and had a slice of an apricot tart. I have never forgotten it! As I recall the apricots were baked into a custardy base. It was divine, and all these years I thought it was just a fluke that I found this apricot tart. It was the highlight of my outing to Versailles.

The problem with this recipe will be to find GOOD apricots. My memory of a summer in the USA ( Martha's Vineyard, 1996) was the total absence of really tasty and ripe fruit. Or vegetables for that matter, apart from corn. But the lobsters and the steaks were great! I guess if you cook the apricots in syrup long enough, they might acquire some sweetness.