Vanilla Poached Apricots Recipes

VANILLA POACHED PEACHES WITH WHIPPED MINTED YOGURT

Steps:

• Make the peaches: Place the water, sugar, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the vanilla bean and scrape the inside of the bean into the liquid. Add as many peaches to the pan as it will hold without piling or crowding, and poach over a low simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove the peaches and finish poaching the remainder of the fruits. When done, place the peaches in a glass baking dish, cut side down. Pour the vanilla syrup over the peaches, and refrigerate until chilled, for up to 8 hours.
• For the yogurt: Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup.
• In a bowl, whip the syrup and cream with a hand-held mixer until stiff. In another bowl, whip the yogurt until smooth and fold it into the cream mixture.
• To serve the peaches: Place 2 peach halves in a shallow bowl, and dollop with some of the minted yogurt cream. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and raspberries.

HONEY VANILLA POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan simmer water, honey, sugar, and vanilla bean, covered, 5 minutes. Add apricots and simmer, covered, until just tender but not falling apart, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on ripeness of fruit.
• Transfer apricots with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil syrup until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour syrup over apricots and chill 25 minutes.

FLAMBEED VANILLA-POACHED PEARS WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and vanilla extract to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add 3 or 4 pear halves, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently until the pears have just turned tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked pears to a warm chafing dish or metal serving dish, and continue to cook the remaining pears.
• Increase heat to medium-high, and boil the syrup until it has reduced to 1 cup. Stir in apricot preserves and return to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stir into the simmering syrup. Cook and stir until thickened and clear, about 30 seconds.
• To serve, pour the hot sauce over the pears, and sprinkle with the rum. Carefully ignite the rum tableside with the lights turned low. Let the alcohol burn out before serving.

BAKED VANILLA APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Put apricots in shallow baking dish. Add remaining ingredients and bake about 30 minutes, turning apricots occasionally. Cool them and serve at room temperature.

VANILLA-POACHED APRICOTS WITH ZABAGLIONE

Steps:

• Poach apricots:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a 2-quart saucepan, then add pod, water, sugar, zest, and salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat, then boil 1 minute.
• Carefully add apricots, then reduce heat and poach at a bare simmer, turning over once, until fruit is tender but still holds its shape and skins are still intact, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer apricots and syrup to a large shallow bowl and cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Make zabaglione:
• Beat together yolks, sugar, and wine in a deep 4-quart metal bowl with a handheld electric mixer at medium speed or whisk vigorously until combined well.
• Set bowl over a 4-quart pot of barely simmering water and beat mixture until tripled in volume, 5 to 6 minutes.
• To serve:
• Spoon 2 or 3 apricot halves into each of 6 glasses and top with zabaglione. Serve immediately.

SIMPLE POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Bring water, agave nectar, and orange peel to a brisk simmer in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add apricots, pushing down to cover with liquid; reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until apricots are just tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on ripeness.
• Transfer apricots gently with a slotted spoon to a shallow bowl or dish. Pour just enough liquid over them to cover and return saucepan with remaining liquid to stove. Simmer over medium-high until reduced by half and lightly syrupy, about 10 minutes.
• Strain syrup into dish with apricots. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and serve.

POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Soak apricots in cold water for 1/2 hour or more.
• Transfer with soaking water to large pan.
• Add sugar, scrape seeds from vanilla beans.
• Add seeds and pod to the pan.
• Bring slowly to a simmer.
• Cook gently till very tender - about 40 minutes.
• Cool then strain.
• Place strained off juice into pot and reduce over heat by 1/3 or.
• till syrupy.
• Cool then serve apricots and juice with cream.

VANILLA PANNA COTTA WITH POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. Place 3 tablespoons cold water in a large bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand until gelatin has softened, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add vanilla bean and scrapings. Gently simmer mixture until bubbles form around sides of pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly. Discard vanilla pod.
• Pour hot cream mixture into gelatin mixture, and whisk until combined. Set bowl in the ice bath. Let cool completely, stirring frequently. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Divide among eight custard cups. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, remove the custard from refrigerator, uncover, and top each portion with two poached apricot halves.

VANILLA POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir sugar into water and wine.
• Slit vanilla bean open along the side and spread it apart exposing the tiny dot-like seeds.
• Cut the vanilla bean crosswise into several pieces and place them in the pan.
• Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes.
• Add apricots; shake them to settle them into liquid.
• Heat just until mixture begins to boil.
• Apricots should be tender but not falling apart.
• Cook slightly longer if fruit is still firm.
• Using a slotted spoon, gently remove apricots, leaving liquid in pan.
• With cover off, reduce poaching liquid to about 1/2 cup.
• Remove and discard vanilla bean pieces.
• Pour concentrated syrup over apricots.
• Cool; chill if time permits before serving.