Cream Filled Apricots

[Recipes Index] [World of Chefs]

In Turkey, a thick cream called kaymak made from water buffalo’s milk is used as the stuffing for apricots. Italian mascarpone or French crème fraiche is frequently used instead of kaymak to make this intriguing summer dessert.

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. whole dried Turkish apricots or dried apricot halves
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup mascarpone or crème fraiche or kaymak, if available
• ½ cup chopped unsalted pistachio nuts

Preparation:

Put the apricots in a bowl, cover with water and let stand overnight. The next day, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and sugar to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue simmering approximately 10 minutes until the liquid thickens. Add the apricots and cook approximately 20 minutes until tender. Add the lemon juice, stir to mix well and, after one minute, remove from heat. Remove the apricots with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the syrup.

Cut open each whole apricot along the seam in order to create a small hole for stuffing with the mascarpone, crème fraiche or kaymak. You may have to use your finger to create a pocket where the seed used to be in each apricot before inserting the stuffing with a small spoon or pastry bag. If you are using apricot halves, set one half on the serving platter, spoon the mascarpone, crème fraiche or kaymak on top and place another apricot half on top of the stuffing.

Once the stuffed apricots are arranged on a serving platter or dessert dishes, spoon the thickened syrup over the apricots and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to allow the syrup to set. Remove from the refrigerator, allow the apricots to return to room temperature and sprinkle the chopped nuts over the apricots.