When we were at the markets a couple of weeks ago, we picked up two boxes of apricots from Morris and Jody. It was exciting to see such beautiful fruit after last year’s disappointing crops!
The five kilo boxes were $10 each, and they’ve given us so much pleasure. A lot of them were eaten, but the rest have been turned into:
Apricot Jam
Pete made 12 jars of his magnificent jam for Christmas. Here’s the formula he used for this batch (it varies slightly depending on the quality and age of the fruit):
- 3.2kg apricots (pitted weight), halved
- 2 x 300ml jars of homemade apple pectin (this batch was made with whole apples)
- 2.3kg white sugar
- juice of 1 large lemon
Apricot Tart
This easy tart was made with June’s sweet pastry (defrosted from the freezer). On top of a pastry base, we sprinkled half a cup of almond meal (ground almonds), then topped it with halved apricots, sugar, and a latticed pastry top. It was finished with an egg wash and a dusting of Moo’s magic sugar before baking…
Apricot and Raspberry Upside Down Cake
Using David Lebovitz’ recipe, I made this cake with apricots and frozen raspberries. I learnt the hard way that springform pans can leak, and most of the caramel topping oozed out over the oven floor. As a result, the cake wasn’t as sweet as it probably should have been, but it was absolutely delicious served with microwave custard. I’ve decided that custard fixes everything, in baking terms. Maybe in life, too…
The cake cut beautifully…
Hopefully this recent bout of wet weather hasn’t done too much damage to the crops, as it’s shaping up to be a brilliant year for stone fruit. The apricots were delicious, and the cherries – oh my, they didn’t even last long enough for me to take a photo!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 