Apricot Yams Recipes

APRICOT-GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Place sweet potatoes in a 13x9-in. baking dish and set aside. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon; stir in apricot nectar, water and orange zest. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in butter and pecans. Pour over sweet potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

SWEET POTATOES (YAMS ) WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Layer sweet potatoes and apricots in casserole dish.
• Sprinkle with pecan halves.
• In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients, including the apricot juice, bring to a boil, and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Pour sauce over casserole and bake at 375 degrees F. for 25 minutes.

APRICOT YAMS

Steps:

• Quarter the prepared yams and place in a buttered casserole.
• Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, orange peel, cinnamon and apricot juice in saucepan.
• Cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens.
• Add apricots, butter and pecans.
• Pour over yams.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through.

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.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Mix apricots and lemon juice in a large pot; add sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook and stir until apricot mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
• Meanwhile, prepare jars, lids, and rings by cleaning and sterilizing in dishwasher or boiling water bath. Leave lids in simmering water until ready to seal jars.
• Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

SWEET POTATO-APRICOT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Combine apricots, water and sugar and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid in a saucepan.
• Peel, slice and cook yams in water until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Grease casserole. Alternate layers of sliced yams, apricots and lemon slices in casserole.
• Add brown sugar, butter and apricot brandy to the saucepan with apricot liquid and heat until butter is melted. Pour over casserole.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle nuts over casserole 10 minutes before removing from oven.

APRICOT SWEET POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Drain sweet potatoes and apricots, reserving 1/2 cup juice from each; set aside. Cut apricots in half. Place sweet potatoes and apricots in a greased shallow 1-qt. baking dish; set aside. , In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon; stir in reserved juices until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the sherry, raisins and orange zest. , Pour over sweet potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until bubbly.

APRICOT-PECAN SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Place the sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Mix together brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, apricot nectar, water, and orange peel in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. When the sauce is thick, stir in the butter and pecans. Place the sweet potato chunks into the prepared baking dish, and pour the sauce over to coat all the potatoes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes.

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SQUASH, YAMS, AND DRIED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Mix cumin and thyme in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with spice mixture, then salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Push onion mixture to side of skillet. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Working in batches, add chicken and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to bowl after each batch. Return chicken to skillet. Scatter onion mixture, squash, yams, and apricots over chicken. Pour tomatoes with juices over; bring to boil. Stir in cardamom and cloves. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until juices are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

APRICOT CONSERVE

Steps:

• Put a couple of small plates in the freezer. Halve and stone the apricots, chop the flesh, then put in a large pan with the apple juice. Crack some of the kernels to extract the nut inside (this is easy to do if you crack with the flat side of a heavy saucepan), then add them to the pan - this is optional, but gives extra flavour. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins, until the apricots are softened.
• Stir in the sugar and lemon juice, then stir well over a moderate heat to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and boil for about 20 mins until jam has set. Test by spooning a little jam onto one of your cold plates. After a moment push the jam with your finger; if the jam wrinkles, it is ready. If not, return to the boil for a further 5 mins, then test again.
• Remove from the heat, skim off any scum, then stir in the butter to dissolve any remaining scum. Cool for 10 mins, stir again, then ladle into warm sterilised jars. Seal, label, then store in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.