Grilled Apricot, Mascarpone, and Prosciutto Toasts Prove That Apricots Are Worth the Wait

I have waited patiently. The first batch was too tart. The second batch was too mealy. The third batch was just right. That's the thing with fresh apricots. They're impossibly fussy fruits.

According to Western Farm Press, this is a tough year for California apricots: our unusually chilly spring delayed apricot maturity. On the upside, apricots are expected to be larger due to the late harvest. Larger is fine, but let's hope that they're sweeter too.

Like cherries, apricot season is short, typically 4-5 weeks sometime during May-August. Skip a couple of weeks at the farmers' market, and poof! they're gone. So as soon as you spy some, buy some.

Here are some tips on how to select and store fresh apricots:

Look for firm, though not hard, fruits with soft, smooth skin. Choose richly colored fruits -- apricots range from pale yellow to darker orange-yellow, and some sport an attractive reddish blush. Avoid apricots that have a greenish hue as they will not ripen. Tiny brown freckles are OK, but skip fruit that has knicks or bruises. And don't forget to take a whiff. Fully ripened apricots will emit a delicate, floral scent.

Fresh apricots are highly perishable. They can be stored unwashed on the counter-top for one to two days. After that, they should be refrigerated. Apricots are too delicate to be placed in the fruit bin with other fruits; instead, store them separately in a covered bowl or plastic container. Allow fruit to come to room temperature before eating.

Like peaches, apricots are highly versatile. They're sensational eaten simply out-of-hand and tossed raw in yogurt, parfaits, and salads. They make delicious savory salsas and chutneys and are a sweet addition to baked goods such as cakes and muffins. Firmer apricots are wonderful grilled, roasted, or poached and served with ice cream, freshly whipped cream, or ricotta cheese. Softer ones can be transformed into jams, jellies, and even brandy.

This apricot season, you're going to have to be patient. But, trust me, when you find that perfectly ripe apricot and bite into its velvety soft skin and taste its jammy sweet-tart flesh, you'll be amply rewarded.



You'll love these grilled Apricot, Mascarpone, and Prosciutto Toasts for many reasons: They're easy to prepare. They work equally well as an appetizer or a brunch item. They're guaranteed to elicit smiles from your guests. Don't worry if you don't have a grill. You can either use a grill pan on the stovetop or broil them in the oven.

This recipe is all about opposites attracting: Sweet-tart apricots are a delicious foil to salty prosciutto and creamy mascarpone cheese. A drizzle of sticky, sweet honey and a sprinkling or earthy rosemary round out the flavors. I don't need to tell you that they're remarkably good when paired with a crisp sparkling wine.

Grilled Apricot, Mascarpone, and Prosciutto Toasts
Makes 12 servings, or 24 if sliced in half
Print recipe only here.

12 slices thinly cut, crusty Italian bread
3-4 tablespoons olive oil for brushing bread and apricots
6-8 firm, ripe apricots, split in half, and pitted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
12 slices prosciutto, about 1/3-1/2 pound
honey, for drizzling
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high. Lightly brush bread slices with olive oil. Grill for 2 minutes, or until grill marks appear. Remove and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, toss apricot halves with remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side down on the grates and grill for 1- 1 1/2 minutes, until lightly marked and softened. Turn over and grill another 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cut each half into 2-3 slices.

3. To assemble toasts: Spread 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese on each grilled bread slice. Top with a slice of prosciutto, 3-4 slices of grilled apricot, a drizzle of honey, and some fresh rosemary. Lightly dust with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve.

You might also like these apricot recipes from Food Blogga:
Fresh Apricot Muffins
Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Apricot, Ginger, and White Chocolate Scones (made with dried apricots)

Here are more apricot recipes you might enjoy:
Roasted Apricots with Brie recipe from She Craves
Roasted Apricots with Rosemary recipe from Cookworm
Grilled Apricots with Dark Chocolate, Honey, Pistachios, and Cream recipe from 5 Second Rule

Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

I love reading your comments on my blog every day. This recent one on my fresh apricot muffin post caught my eye. Lovely Ann of Redacted Recipes wrote: *sigh* Every time I read a new post of yours I fall into a geographical depression. Your apricots are so beautiful! And those muffins! I love the way each one coyly shows a little fruit... :-)

Though I had never heard of "geographical depression," I know what Ann means. I used to have it myself (though I referred to it less genteelly). Trust me, I don't post on these gems to make you depressed or envious; I do it because I get so ridiculously excited that I just have to share my finds. That's why I'm posting another picture of fresh farmers' market apricots and cherries.



When I saw that 20-foot-long table covered with plump, brilliant red cherries and velvety soft golden apricots I audibly gasped (hey, I wasn't the only one). Then I turned to Jeff and said something like, "I'm making an apricot and cherry pie when we get home! Or should I make a crumble? Ooh-ooh, I know, how about a cobbler?" See what I mean? Waaay too excited.



We decided on a cobbler. I wasn't sure what I wanted to use for the cobbler top, but I didn't have to search too long. My mom and dad had recently sent me Nick Malgieri's How to Bake. When my mom realized I didn't have his book, she was shocked:

"What?! How could you not have Nick Malgieri's book? I love his book! Well, that's it. Your father and I are going to Border's this weekend to get you one," she said.

"Mom you don't need to--" I started to say.

"Susan, listen to your mother," she said.

A week later, the book was in our mail box.

Though Malgieri's book isn't new, it's a treasure trove of classic dessert recipes. Considering that he is an award-winning author of 5 cookbooks and has been the director of the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC for the last 12 years, I think he knows what he's talking about. I like the way he covers baking basics such as how to make flaky pie dough and perfect tarts and how he offers suggestions for variations (like Dorie Greenspan, whose book is a bible among food bloggers.)

So here is my mildly adapted version of Nick's Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust. I made a spicier, sweeter fruit filling and cut out circles of biscuit dough for the top instead of making one solid crust.



This cobbler is a comforting, old-timey dessert. From the moment you smell the sweet buttermilk biscuit topping baking in the oven to the first taste of luscious, warm, sweet apricots and tangy cherries, you'll want to sit out on a rocking chair on your grandmother's porch and listen to her spin tales from her youth.

Fresh Apricot and Cherry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
Makes 6-8 servings.
Print recipe only here.

Filling:
3 pounds ripe fresh apricots, about 15
1 cup pitted fresh cherries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Buttermilk Biscuit Crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour (I just used all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2/3 cups buttermilk

Glaze:
1 tablespoon buttermilk, cream, or milk
1 tablespoon sugar

Garnish:
2 tablespoons raw sugar crystals, for sprinkling on top

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Use a 9 or 10-inch pie plate or a 1 1/2 quart deep oven-proof baking dish.

To make the filling, lightly cut an X on the bottom of each apricot and place them into a large pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. If the apricots are ripe, the skins will slip off easily. If not, then use a sharp paring knife to remove the skins. Cut each apricot into 5-6 wedges and place in the baking dish along with the pitted cherries.

Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; pour over the fruit and stir gently. Add dots of butter all over the top of the filling. Set aside while preparing dough.

To make the crust, combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Cut the butter into 8 or 10 pieces and rub into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal (or pulse in a food processor fitted with a metal blade). Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork, being careful not to overwork the dough (or it will become leaden.) Let the dough stand in the bowl for a couple of minutes to let the flours absorb the liquid.

Flour a work surface and turn the dough onto it. Fold the dough over itself 2 or 3 times, until smoother and less sticky. Lightly re-flour the work surface and roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. For circles, using the top of a drinking glass or a round cookie cutter, make about 12 rounds. Gently place the rounds on top of the filling, slightly overlapping the edges. Brush with glaze, and sprinkle with raw sugar crystals.

Alternatively, you could make a full top crust by rolling the dough out slightly larger than the size of your baking dish. Trim excess dough and flute the edges of the dough at the rim of the dish. Make 4 or 5 (1-inch) slashes in the center of the dough.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling gently. (For easy clean-up, you may want to place a sheet of tinfoil on the rack under the baking dish to catch any drips.) Cool before serving. Cobbler is best served warm or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed plain or with some whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You might also like these fruity desserts:

Coconut-Lime Rice Pudding with Mangoes and Cashews





Fresh Cherry and Peach Upside-Down Cake





Mini Custards with Limoncello-Spiked Raspberry Sauce




And, boy, do food bloggers love a good cobbler! You could stay busy all summer long with these:

• Abby's Blueberry Cobbler
  
• Alanna's Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
• Elise's Plum Cobbler
  
• Glenna's Blackberry and Cherry Cobbler
  
• Kalyn's Peach and Berry Cobbler
  
• Karina's Vegan Blueberry Cobbler
• Matt's Peach and Raspberry Cobbler
  
• Simona's Cobbler di Fragole (Strawberry Cobbler)

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It's Apricot Season, So That Means Fresh Apricot Muffins

Do you know what happens when you buy a quart size container of fresh apricots? You get about 14 apricots that ripen at the same time (and about two that don't). As much as I love fresh apricots, eating 14 of them within a day or two isn't practical or appealing. Apricot muffins, however, are enormously appealing.

Apricot season runs from May-August, so now is the time to buy them. Unlike hardier peaches or nectarines, apricots are finicky. They like mild temperatures and dislike intense heat, which is why they grow so well in California. When selecting fresh apricots look for somewhat firm (not hard) fruit that is brightly colored (they range from light yellow to a deeper orange-yellow). The skin should be velvety smooth without wrinkles or blemishes, and they should yield slightly when squeezed. If you're still in doubt, then take a good whiff -- a ripe apricot emits a sweet fragrance. After all, it is a member of the rose family.



Apricots should be stored on the counter top until ripe then refrigerated if not eaten with a day or two. For the fullest flavor, it's best to allow the fruit to come to room temperature before eating.

A fresh, ripe apricot is sublime--its creamy, perfumed flesh is subtly sweet with hints of tartness. Since I don't have the heart to toss apricots that are slightly bruised or mushy, I decided to bake with them. I had success with some fresh strawberry muffins, so I thought I'd try another fresh fruit muffin recipe.

These low-fat fresh apricot muffins are moist and cake-y with little juicy bits of apricot and crunchy nuts in each bite. Of course, with redolent cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh ginger, you'll be enticed by them long before you even take a bite.



Fresh Apricot Muffins (low-fat)
Makes 12 regular size muffins.
Print recipe only here.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup light brown sugar
5 tablespoons smart balance butter substitute, melted
1 large egg and 2 egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh diced apricots
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 apricot, thinly sliced for the tops of the muffins

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12 mold regular size muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl, and stir well.

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, honey, sugar, smart balance, eggs, ginger, and vanilla, and whisk well. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in apricots and almonds.

Spoon the batter evenly into the into 12 muffin cups. Add an apricot slice to the top of each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing each muffin and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Here are more deliciously sweet recipes featuring fresh apricots:
Anna's Apricot Jam
Clotilde's Apricot Coffee Cake
Elise's Rustic Apricot Tart

You might also like these baked goods:

Banana Coconut Almond Bread





Fresh Strawberry, Almond, and Coconut Muffins





Honeyed Orange Ginger Muffins (Quat, Optional)





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