Chocolate-Almond Torte with Apricot Cream

Almonds and apricots are kissing cousins, sharing kernels and habitats. The hot Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys have become the world habitat of the almond, first introduced on a large scale into California in 1853. Apricots are a trickier proposition, but since they are native to northern China they do well in the cooler valleys of Washington and Oregon. One need only hear the voices of Washington apricot eaters to want to live among Wenatchee Moor-parks, Tiltons, or the aptly named Per