Gruyre Apricot Jam And Toasted Walnut Panini Recipes

HAM, GRUYERE AND APPLE PANINI

Steps:

• In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apple slices and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
• Preheat a panini press. Spread each bread slice with 1 tablespoon mustard. Arrange 1/4 cup of cheese on each of 4 bread slices and top with 2 slices of ham. Divide the apple mixture evenly on top of the ham. Add the remaining cheese and cover with the remaining 4 bread slices. Grill in the panini press until the cheese has melted and the tops are golden and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes.

APRICOT WALNUT BARS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cook apricots in water over medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Drain, cool and chop; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup flour until well blended. , Press into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 350° until lightly browned, about 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until blended. Beat in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, and remaining flour; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in apricots and nuts. Pour over crust. , Bake at 350° until set, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar; cut into bars.

APRICOT WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except preserves, walnuts, and apricots into bread machine in the proper order for your machine. Use dough cycle. As the bread kneads, adjust the liquid to flour ratio if needed.
• At the end of the dough cycle, remove dough and place on floured board. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll out into a rectangle, brush with apricot preserves, and sprinkle walnuts and apricots on top. Roll up into a loaf, place in greased bread pan, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes.
• At the end of the rising time, slash down the center, brush with a little beaten egg or egg substitute and milk, and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove bread from pan, place on rack, and let cool.

APRICOT-NOYAUX JAM

Steps:

• The night before you plan to make the jam, pit and quarter the apricots, reserving pits. Trim away any soft or moldy bits. Place fruit in a large bowl or pot, toss with 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt to macerate, cover with parchment or lid and refrigerate. Place pits on a plate in a single layer, and freeze.
• The following day, bring fruit to room temperature before beginning jam-making process.
• Lay a kitchen towel across a cutting board. Place frozen apricot pits on the towel in a single layer. Cover with a second towel, and use a hammer to gently crack each pit open, then remove kernels - the noyaux - from each pit (it's fine if they break into pieces). Discard shells, and place kernels in a jelly bag or tie in a cheesecloth pouch, and secure with kitchen twine.
• Place fruit, liquid and pouch in 6-quart or larger Dutch oven, or similar wide pot, and set over high heat. Set a colander inside a large heatproof bowl, and set aside. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, bring the jam to a boil, then carefully pour everything into the colander to strain the fruit, and return the syrup and kernel pouch to the pot. Set fruit aside.
• Stirring constantly over high heat, bring syrup to 225 degrees, or until the rapid boil slows, the bubbles grow large and the syrup thickens, about 15 minutes.
• Return fruit to pot, and allow jam to return to 225 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. If the temperature gets stuck around 220, the syrup seems to stop thickening or the jam tastes too tart, add up to 1 cup of sugar to balance. Add a pinch of salt if needed to adjust seasoning. The hot jam should taste uncomfortably sweet - once it cools, its flavor will mellow. After about 20 minutes, once most of the fruit breaks down and the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and adjust sugar, salt and lemon juice as needed - the jam should be mouth-smackingly sweet and tart. Add 1/4 cup noyau extract, if using. Remove pot from heat.
• Remove pouch, and set aside. When it's cool enough to handle, squeeze as much liquid (and noyau essence) from the bag, and stir into jam. Divide jam into 4 half-pint jars, and heat-process to seal, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. Rinse off noyaux, and use to make extract.

APRICOT WALNUT BARS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with 1 sheet of foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides, then butter foil.
• Pulse flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add yolks and vanilla and pulse just until clumps of dough form, about 30 seconds.
• Press three fourths of dough evenly onto bottom of pan, then spread with apricot preserves. Crumble remaining dough over preserves and sprinkle evenly with walnuts.
• Bake until top is golden brown and preserves are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack. Lift from pan by grasping both ends of foil. Cut into 32 bars and lift bars off foil with a spatula.