Apricot Purses

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and margarine until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and mix.

Add ice water just until dough firms (usually 3 tablespoons will suffice). Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. (Dough can be frozen, or refrigerated for up to a week.)

Combine apricots with sugar and ground almonds. Let stand while preparing ramekins.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Grease the insides of six ramekins with margarine. Dust well with flour, making sure they are completely coated, and tap out the excess flour. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough, 1/8 inch thick.

Using a small plate as a template, cut out 3 6-inch rounds.

Fit the rounds into the prepared ramekins, pressing down well on all sides. Some dough will hang over. (See image) 

Fill ramekins with apricots, piling them in until just above the edge of each ramekin (see image).

Pleat the dough neatly over the filling, pressing down gently. The center of the filling will be exposed (see image).

Repeat with rest of dough.

Brush exposed dough with melted margarine and sprinkle with sugar (you can freeze purses at this point).

Place all ramekins on a baking sheet (to catch any spills). Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until golden.

Let cool a bit, then run a knife around the edges to release purses from ramekins. If you wait too long to do so, purses might stick to ramekins. Serve warm or at room temperature.