Poached Apricots with Ice Cream
I love apricots, but even when they are in season it can be difficult to find one perfectly ripe and full of flavour. So I tend to avoid the risk of a dud fresh apricot and use dried apricots.
This dessert is super simple, but there’s something beautiful about the way the ice cream melts into the sweet vanilla sauce. The apricots are also lovely with museli and yoghurt for breakfast. So you may like to double the recipe.
enough for: 2
takes: 10 minutes
200g (7oz) dried apricots
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
vanilla ice cream, to serve
1. Place apricots, 1/2 cup water, vanilla bean and vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan.
2. Simmer apricots for about 5 minutes or until lovely and plump.
4. Serve apricots warm or cold with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Variations
dairy-free / vegan – Replace ice cream with coconut sorbet or a lemon sorbet. Or go for a healthier vibe and serve with fresh blueberries and a squeeze of lime.
breakfast / less sweet – serve with natural yoghurt instead of ice cream.
no vanilla – just skip it or use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead.
paleo (gluten, grain + dairy-free) – serve apricots with coconut cream.
vary the dried fruit – most dried fruit would be equally delicious. Try dried pears, peaches, prunes, dates or dried apples – you may need to vary the amount of sugar and water depending on the sweetness and moisture content of your chosen fruit.
try fresh fruit – fresh apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples, pears, strawberries, rhubarb, quinces. Again you may need to vary the amount of sugar and water but the recipe above is a great starting point. The cooking time will also be considerably different for fresh fruit.
vary the creamy accompaniment – it’s had to beat ice cream, but it can be fun to mix it up. Marscapone (Italian cream cheese), lightly whipped cream, a drizzle of runny cream and natural yoghurt (with or without a little honey) would all be at home here.
spice it up – vanilla is by far my favourite flavouring for something like this but it can be fun to try different spices. Cinnamon sticks are an obvious choice but cardamom can also be lovely.
low carb – serve fresh berries and cream instead.
Problem Solving Guide
not enough syrup – you’ve either cooked it too long, or have used a wide pan which has allowed too much evaporation – easy to fix though, just top up with a little more water and bring back to a simmer.
mushy apricots – some dried fruit seems to be naturally more moist than others. If they end up mushy, try cooking less next time. For now you could either enjoy them as is, or puree in the food processor and serve as an apricot ‘sauce’.
hard apricots – again, not all dried apricots are the same. Just add a little more water and continue to cook until they soften up.
too sweet – next time use less sugar but for now a squeeze of lime or lemon will help moderate the sweetness.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
dried apricots / vanilla bean – keep in the pantry.
vanilla ice cream – freezer.
Serving Suggestions
Because this is a lighter dessert compared with something chocolately, it’s a good choice to end a more heavy meal like this weeks pasta with crushed peas & ricotta or the butter chicken curry.
It’s also a great addition to breakfast with museli and natural yoghurt.
Leftover Potential
Excellent. Will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes