My favorite way to eat apricots is just as you see them here - fresh out of hand!
But of course no one should eat more than one or two a day that way, and since I'm the only one in the family who likes them, my yearly treasure trove threatens to spoil before I can eat them all! So I'm constantly looking for new ways to use these beauties.
I think you'll like this one...
Baked Apricots with Almonds
The ingredient list is simple:
5 or 6 fresh, ripe apricots
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 almonds, finely chopped
I used the almond slivers I had in the cupboard -
- and my Pampered Chef chopper.
Then I chopped my little heart out for about thirty seconds.
I think I'll go a bit longer the next time. These pieces were a bit large for the recipe, although they still worked well.
Mix the almonds with the butter (softened) and brown sugar, and set it to the side.
The next step is to peel the apricots. I neglected to take pictures of this process, but it's easy-peasy.
First, blanch the fruit. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then carefully drop the apricots into the boiling water. Once the water reaches a rolling boil again, leave the apricots in for about one minute. Then bring them out of the water (I use a slotted spoon). The skin should split and pull back a bit.
If you have some fruits that aren't quite ripe, they may need to blanch for another 10 - 15 seconds.
Once the apricots are blanched, let them cool slightly, then slip the skins off and cut them in half. Remove the pits and arrange the halves in a buttered baking dish.
Put about a teaspoon of the almond filling in each half, then bake them in a 400° oven for 20 minutes.
They should be hot and bubbly, with juices running in the baking dish. And oh! They smell so good!
Serve them warm, with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream on top. Or you can eat them plain. Any way you do it, these are delicious!
So let's talk. Do you like apricots? How do you like to eat them?
Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.
Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com.
Apricots!!! Love them. Great recipe. I like them dried too!!!
ReplyDeleteI have never met an apricot I didn't like. :)
DeleteI love apricots. Oh my stars, they are true ambrosia and nectar, aren't they? So delicious! Apricots, nectarines, Italian prune-plums..... some of my favorites! If I was on facebook, I'd be punching the "LOVE" heart button!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun recipe, Jan! I would eat the entire pan. With no hesitation. Oh my stars, I would eat them right now!!!
How are the honeymooners doing?
Wish them well for me, I know it takes some time for life to roll back to normal. Whatever that is!
This recipe makes a nice light dessert for a hot summer day! And so easy that it's perfect for company.
DeleteThe honeymooners are doing well, as far as I know. For some reason, they're keeping to themselves. ;)
And like my new son-in-law said when they got back from Glacier, "Now we get to find our new normal."
He's so wise. :)
This looks wonderful, Jan! My husband is the apricot fan in the family, so I need to try to make this for him. Or, since he's a better cook than I am, maybe I should just show him the recipe and let him have a go at it :-) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura!
DeleteThis is the perfect recipe for an apricot fan! And it's so easy - the only tricky part is peeling the fruit, but even that is super easy once you get the hang of it.
I hope your husband likes it!
Jan, this sounds great ... and a light dessert considering how hot it has been here lately. Heat should be no reason to give up dessert entirely, right? Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteNancy C
Hi Nancy!
DeleteHeat should be no reason to give up dessert, especially when it involves fresh fruit. :)
Your recipe sounds delicious, since I especially LOVE apricots! I made apricot-pineapple jam one year...must do that again....and apricot scones are yummy.
ReplyDeleteApricot-pineapple jam? Hmmm. I've never tried that combination, but it sounds like a winner!
DeleteThat looks delicious, Jan! I usually eat my apricots dried, but I bet I could use them with this recipe too.
ReplyDeleteNancy - heat = ice cream for dessert = problems on the scale. :(
You probably could use dried apricots. Would you reconstitute them first?
DeleteMy problem would be that I love dried apricots too much - if I bought some for this recipe, I'm not sure they'd be around long enough to make a dessert out of them. :)