"apricots" news and stories

"Balance really is the art of the tart," says blogger QuintanaRoo, whose fruit of choice, above, is the black apricot (an intensely sweet hybrid of plum and apricot). According to California fruit source Melissa's, the fuzzy deep purple fruit with the golden interior "is reminiscent of apricot preserves." In a textured almond crust to frame it, this is one sweet early-summer dessert. And, Quintanaroo adds, for the balance every tart needs, try pairing the black apricots with sour plums.

She doesn't provide a recipe to go along with her luscious photos, but this Kitchen Daily recipe for petite fruit tarts will do those black apricots proud.

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Barbecue sauce intrigues me. It's rich, thick, delicious and a healthy homemade version can add lots of flavor to healthy eats like grilled or steamed veggies and chicken dishes. There are thousands of recipes and versions, and I think the real reason that I'm so in love with barbecue sauce is that it can pose a challenge for a professional recipe developer.

Almost any fruit, seasoning or condiment can be made into a barbecue sauce and I'm curious to hear about the "secret" unusual ingredient Slashfoodies use in their favorite versions. I've made barbecue sauces with grapefruit, blueberry and chocolate, but I've heard of many other renditions that sound tasty and fun -- like mango, orange, pomegranate honey, dried cherry and a white variety, just to name a few.

Get Jennifer's Spicy Apricot Barbecue Sauce recipe after the jump.

Ok, we know it's a little early to talk about apricots, but it's starting to warm up out there and with peak season just around the corner (from May to September depending on where you live) we just can't help ourselves.

The plump, golden-orange fruit is one our favorite farmer's market finds. A fine snack in its dried incarnation, it also makes for stellar tarts and preserves.

Keep it simple with fresh apricots. Drizzle them with honey and pair with ricotta or goat cheese or toss them on the grill. This season we have an eye on Food & Wine's simple recipe for broiled apricots caramelized with honey, an ideal foil for sweet vanilla ice cream. Below are eight tempting recipes to choose from:

1. Apricot and Chocolate Bavarois
2. Apricot, Almond and Brown Butter Tart
3. Apricots Baked in Fig Leaves
4. Apricot and Almond Jam
5. Grilled Apricots with Bittersweet Chocolate and Almonds
6. Blueberry Apricot Crumble
7. Bread and Butter Pudding Served with Clotted Cream and Compote of Apricots
8. Apricot Streusel Coffeecake

Do you have a favorite apricot dessert you'd be willing to divulge? Let us know in the comments.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a review of Vlada, a New York bar that specializes in infused vodkas. As I mentioned in my post, my experiences at Vlada had made me nostalgic for the moonshine that I had once enjoyed in Southwest Virginia. Back in the day, I used to buy 'shine by the gallon and infuse it with fruits, herbs, honey, and other ingredients, producing a wide range of aperitifs. While I'm a huge fan of store-bought liqueurs, I have yet to meet the mass-produced tipple that can rival the blueberry-infused moonshine, moonshine-based absinthe, or moonshine krupnikas that I once made.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided that the time had come to restart my experiments in fruit infusion. I had a half bottle of Everclear in the liquor cabinet, which I quickly determined was still relatively fresh and potent. A trip down to the farmer's market gave me a couple of pints of fresh blueberries, which I washed, dried, picked over, and packed in mason jars. I covered the fruit in grain alcohol, closed the lids, and set them in the back of one of my kitchen cabinets. Apart from giving them a daily shake, I was content to let time and the 190-proof alcohol do their work.

A week later, the alcohol was stained a deep purple and the berries were gray. A quick taste assured me that the grain was still mighty strong, but was now infused with a nice blueberry flavor. Wanting something a little more intense, I let a second batch of berries steep for a week in the alcohol. Afterward, I had a very alcoholic, very intensely flavored blueberry liquor. I also had a second batch of slightly sour-tasting blueberry alcohol that I got from running the leftover blueberries through my fruit juicer.

The Curious Cook discusses cooking with cold - liquid nitrogen-chilled foams, inside-out pancakes cooked on the icy "anti-griddle."

Eric Asimov sips the white wines of Greece.

Supermarkets add more varieties of fruits and veggies, to compete with farmers markets.

The Greenmarket debates grower rules.

China temporarily allows shipments of California strawberries. Strawberry shortcakes for all gold medalists!

Honey-apricot parfaits, with recipe.

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