Pour the water over the almonds and let soak a couple of hours. Whiz in the blender till smooth, then strain through a cheesecloth. Squeeze it to get as much milk out as you can. Mix a little of the milk with the cornstarch. Heat the rest of the milk, along with the bay leaf, salt, and sugar, till almost boiling. Mix in the cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil, and let simmer a couple of minutes.

In the meantime, you've rinsed six 5 oz / 140 g custard cups with cold water and laid the apricot halves, cut-side-up, in them. When the blancmange is done cooking, pour it over the apricots. Put them in the refrigerator to chill, and unmould them to serve. You could serve them with some raspberry sauce if you like.

This recipe's main appeal is visual, but it tastes pretty good too.