Apricot Gelt Recipes

FRESH APRICOT COBBLER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring water, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a boil; stir until thickened, about 1 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add apricots and 1 tablespoon butter. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut 7 tablespoons butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Stir milk into crumbles until topping is just moistened. Spoon topping over apricot mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over topping.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

APRICOT GELEE

Steps:

• Heat the puree over medium-high heat in a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Mix the pectin with half the sugar to "dilute" it. When the puree reaches 100 degrees F, add the pectin/sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the remaining sugar and the corn syrup and cook until the mixture reaches 225 degrees F, stirring slowly and constantly with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides.
• Dissolve the ascorbic acid in 1 teaspoon of water. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ascorbic acid. Pour into a baking dish lined with a silpat or parchment paper, and let set for at least overnight, until gelled and firm. Cut neatly into rectangles 1-inch by 1 1/2 inches. Spread a few tablespoons of sugar in a dish and roll each square in sugar, to coat. Wrap individually in cellophane or store in an airtight container. At room temperature, they keep up to 4 weeks.
• Notes about the recipe: When golden-brown cookies and dark-brown chocolates threaten to overwhelm my petit-four trays, I can always depend on the bright garnet sparkle of these candies, lively in color and flavor. In France, where I learned to make them, gelees come in a tremendous range of colors and flavors, from grass-green kiwi to deep purple blackberry.
• And if you're a fan of Chuckles candies, these will blow your mind. Pectin is a natural fruit gelatin that you can buy in powder form, especially during canning season (June-October). Ascorbic acid, a natural antioxidant available at health-food stores, keeps the color bright.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Toss the apricots, sugar, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in a large saucepan to combine, then mash slightly to release some of the apricot juice. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the apricots to macerate and the sugar to dissolve. Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer to chill; this will be used to test the doneness of the jam.
• Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. (See Cook's Note for suggested add-in.) Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until the jam becomes thick and syrupy, about 35 minutes. To test doneness, place a small amount of the jam onto the chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger or a spoon through the jam. If it holds its shape and thickness, the jam is done; remove from the heat. If it's runny, continue to cook and test again in 5-minute increments. Once the jam has reached the right consistency, transfer to jars and cool completely before storing, tightly covered. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

EASY CHOCOLATE-DIPPED APRICOTS (APRICOT CHANUKAH GELT)

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Heat chocolate over a double-boiler. Allow the water in the boiler to get hot but not fully boil. Use a plastic spatula to scrape chocolate away from the sides. Remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. If you prefer to use a microwave, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in short intervals, stirring well with spatula.
• Immediately add all the apricots to the pot melted chocolate, and stir gently until they are all coated fully. Carefully lift each piece out of the pot with a fork, allowing some of the excess chocolate to drip off. For a more sophisticated look, you can also try holding each apricot by one end with your fingers and dipping only half of it into the chocolate.
• Place carefully on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate has become firm (20-30 minutes). Optionally, you can wrap individually in foil wrappers to give as gifts. Store in the refrigerator - If refrigerated, they can last up to a week (though they are best if eaten within 3 days).

APRICOT GALETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. In a food processor pulse almonds with confectioners' sugar until finely ground. Pit apricots and cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges. On a lightly floured surface unfold pastry sheet and cut out a 9-inch round. Transfer round to a buttered large shallow baking pan and prick pastry all over with a fork. Spoon almond mixture evenly over pastry, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Decoratively arrange apricot wedges, overlapping them, on top of almond mixture and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Bake galette in middle of oven until edges are golden brown, about 30 minutes. With a metal spatula transfer galette to a rack to cool.