IN the world of baking, there are endless delightful creations to explore, each with its unique story and cultural significance.

One such culinary gem is the pithivier, which is a delectable French pastry.

It originated in the town of Pithiviers, located in Loiret, central France.

With its rich and flaky layers of buttery puff pastry and luscious filling, the pithivier is often considered a true masterpiece of French culinary craftsmanship.

The history of the pithivier is as fascinating as it tastes and can be traced back to the medieval period in France.

The town of Pithiviers, with its fertile land and abundant resources, became known for its exceptional pastries, including what was eventually named the pithivier.

It was believed to have been popularised during the Renaissance period when French pastry-making techniques were flourishing.

So let's take a look and see why the French are so smitten by this round, enclosed pie – usually made by baking two discs of puff pastry, with a filling stuffed in between, positioned at the centre of the underneath layer so as to prevent leakage during baking.

It has the appearance of a hump and is traditionally decorated with spiral lines drawn from the top outwards with the point of a knife.

The pithivier always has a distinct shine on the top of the crust, created by brushing on an egg wash beforehand, or by caramelising a dusting of icing sugar at the end of baking. As for the fillings, the pithivier is frequently a sweet cream frangipane of almonds and rum with fruit such as cherries, plums or apricots, but savoury pies with vegetables, meat or cheese fillings can also be called pithiviers.

It is a recipe very similar to the 'galette des Rois' (king cake), which is made during January, on Epiphany day.

The pithivier is decorated around the sides with flower petals, made by scalloping the edge.

It sounds more complicated than it is! In reality, it's quite simple, if you buy the puff pastry and love rum!

I'm not even sure how to pronounce pithivier, but the best part about writing this column is that the pronunciation doesn't really matter!

RECIPE

ALMOND AND APRICOT PITHIVIERS

Serves 6-8 portions

Ingredients:

500g pack of pre-made butter puff pastry

1 large tin of half apricots or peaches, or ripe and fresh

Frangipane filling

150g/5oz softened butter

150g/5oz caster sugar

150g/5oz ground almonds

50g/2oz self-raising flour

3 medium eggs, beaten

30ml/1fl oz rum or brandy

Method:

1. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin, with a little flour, and cut out two large circles the size of dinner plates.

2. Place one circle onto a well-buttered baking tray and place the other to one side.

3. Now make the almond frangipane; put the softened butter, sugar, flour, beaten eggs and rum into a mixing bowl and beat well.

4. Egg wash a border around the circle on the baking tray, spread on the almond butter in the centre and arrange the apricots on top to form a domed mound.

5. Drape over the second circle and seal the two circles with your fingertips, poke a small hole in the centre of the pie, then using a pairing knife mark out faint lines from the centre to the base, creating a spiral effect, crimping scallop effects around the edge.

6. Egg wash and chill in a fridge for 15 minutes before baking in a preheated oven at 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6 for 35-40 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm.