Apricot Recipes

Apricots are a flavorful fruit that can be used in a variety of recipes. From stewed apricots to baba cakes, there are many tasty dishes you can prepare with this wonderful fruit.

Apricot Salsa Recipe

Fruit salsas are a popular topping for tortilla chips, as well as for fish, shrimp, chicken, pork and a variety of other dishes. Making homemade apricot salsa is surprisingly simple.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of fresh apricots
• 1 small bell pepper
• 1 small tomato
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of cilantro (fresh or dried)
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice

Instructions

1. Remove pits from apricots; cut into small chunks, approximately 1/4 of an inch square each.
2. Remove seeds from bell pepper and dice.
3. Dice tomato.
4. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or longer.

Variations

• Add fresh diced jalapeno, habanero or chili pepper, seeds removed.
• Add 1/2 cup chopped mango.
• Add 1/2 cup crushed pineapple.
• Add 1/4 cup canned whole-kernel corn, drained.

Apricot Popovers

Store-bought crescent roll dough makes easy work of creating your own apricot popovers.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of fresh apricots

  

• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cans of crescent roll dough

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove pits from apricots; cut into small chunks, approximately 1/4 of an inch square.
3. Place all ingredients except for crescent roll dough into a saucepan over high heat.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat.
6. Simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
9. Separate crescent roll squares, laying each one flat on prepared baking sheet.
10. Spoon apricot mixture into center of each square, dividing evenly.
11. Fold or roll into desired shape (crescent, square, triangle).
12. Bake for 20 minutes.

Dried Apricot and Bacon Bites

Apricots wrapped with bacon is a simple-to-prepare appetizer that's just as perfect for a formal dinner party as it is for family movie night.

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce package of dried apricots
• 1 pound of packaged bacon, any variety

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Cut apricots in half.
4. Cut bacon strips in thirds.
5. Wrap each apricot with a strip of bacon.
6. Place each wrapped apricot, seam side down, on foil-covered baking sheet.
7. Bake 15 minutes.
8. Remove baking sheet from oven.
9. Flip wrapped apricots over.
10. Continue baking 15 more minutes or longer, if needed for bacon to be thoroughly cooked.
11. Remove from pan and place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb excess grease before serving.

Variations

• Stuff each apricot half with a pecan or almond before wrapping with bacon.
• Dip in a warm mixture of soy sauce and your favorite flavor of fruit jelly or jam.
• Dip in duck sauce.
• Dip in hot mustard.

Baba Cakes With Apricots

Contributed by Beth Asaff

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2/3 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup apricot marmalade
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Instructions

1. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup water.
2. Add the dissolved yeast to 1/2 cup of flour. Cover and let rise.
3. Mix remaining flour with 2/3 cup butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar and salt.
4. Beat thoroughly and add the remaining eggs one at a time while beating.
5. Continue beating the batter until it is perfectly smooth.
6. As soon as yeast and flour mixture has doubled its bulk, combine mixtures, beat thoroughly and spoon it into a buttered muffin tin, filling each cup halfway.
7. Cover the tin and let the batter rise to fill the tops of the cups.
8. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and set in the centers.
9. Remove the cakes from the muffin tin, cut a circular piece from top of each and scoop out a small amount of the middle of each cake.
10. Fill the centers with apricot marmalade and replace the circular pieces cut from the tops.
11. Make the rum glaze to pour over the cakes by mixing together 1/2 cup melted butter with 1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup dark rum.
12. Pour the glaze over the cakes slowly until it is completely absorbed.
13. Serve the finished cakes with fresh whipped cream.

Apricot Shortcake

Contributed by Karen Frazier

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 egg whites, beaten until foamy
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 quart canned apricots
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together into a medium bowl.
4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy and stir in milk.
5. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Stir in melted butter.
7. Bake in 325 degree F oven until firm, about 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
9. Split the shortcake crosswise.
10. Strain juice from apricots into a bowl. Combine juice with sugar.
11. Boil juice and sugar for 10 minutes until syrupy. Cool.
12. Spread half of the shortcake with apricots and place second half of cake on top.
13. Arrange the remaining apricots on top of cake.
14. Cut into slices and pour syrup over the top.
15. Top with dollops of whipped cream.

Enjoy Apricots Many Ways

While fresh apricots make a tasty snack in their natural state and dried apricots taste terrific right from the bag, there are plenty of other options for enjoying this delicious and healthful fruit. Incorporate a variety of apricot dishes into your cooking repertoire.