Apricots make for a tangy, sweet summer dessert
When I spy the first apricots in the market, I get excited.
To be honest, I never thought it was worth the effort to cook with apricots because they are so perfect to eat out of hand. I so appreciate their velvety skin and their creamy sweet flesh that sometimes has a zing to it. The riper they are, the sweeter the apricots will be.
But while they are a satisfying snack or a simple dessert as is, I’ve discovered that they are also delicious in many recipes.
I’ve whipped up a fresh apricot mousse to serve as a light dessert. I’ve added fresh apricot halves to roast chicken. And I’ve created a fabulous barbecue sauce with apricots as the star ingredient.
This dessert is one more example of cooking with apricots that is well worth the effort.
I really liked the idea of Amaretti cookie crumbs as a stuffing. Think of an almond macaroon inside an apricot half. The first time I made this dessert, I didn’t cook the apricots long enough because they were not quite ripe. I also realized you want to find large apricots so you will have enough room to stuff each half.
The next time, I made sure the apricots were just ripe but not soft. An added plus is you can make this in the morning, cover and leave at room temperature. Just bake in the oven when you are ready to serve.
Have fun with creating your own presentation. You could place the whole baking dish on the table and let people help themselves. I prefer to plate them on pretty dessert dishes or in bowls and arrange the ice cream and mint around the apricots.
Don’t forget to spoon a bit of the baked juice on the top just before serving.