Walking around my neighborhood the other day, I saw someone’s apricot tree, its branches drooping from the weight of the fruit.
The tree was on private property, so all I could do was stand on the sidewalk and think gluttonous thoughts.
I have loved apricots since a very specific day in my childhood.
It was mid-July, and my best friend and I were lying under the apricot tree in her front yard. We were both entering junior high in the fall, so we were talking about the scary unknowns in moving from middle school to the more complicated routines of junior high.
Would we be able to master the complexities of moving from room to room for each class? We weren’t sure. At our school, the seventh and eighth grade kids shared the hallways with the upperclassmen. Would they bully us? We weren’t sure about that, either. What would the teachers be like?
As we discussed these burning issues, we leisurely plucked up fallen apricots, so ripe that their honeyed juices attracted bees. Our ears filled with their buzzing while we ate apricots until we were sated. Bellies full, the dappled shade lulled us into a sense of security and happiness.
Rising, we decided to ride our bikes down to the county park on the lake. Its sandy beach made for great swimming, and somebody had anchored a diving raft there. It was a rendezvous point for all the village kids, so we knew that we would see others we knew. Maybe we would play a diving game, where we tossed a shiny quarter into the water, then dived to find it. Or we would make up some other game to play.
The memory of that day seems to sum up all the best of my childhood. Largely unsupervised, we spent the long summer days doing whatever we wished. As long as we were home before the streetlights came on, our parents were satisfied.
Times were different then, of course. I don’t think most parents today would allow their kids to spend much time unsupervised, and that’s probably for the best. Still, I’m glad I had the childhood that I did.
I remember that childhood every time I smell apricots, which are just coming into season here in Arizona. The best place to find Arizona-grown apricots is farmers’ markets, because there isn’t a large commercial growers presence here in the state.
You might see any of the following varieties here:
- Castlebrite: firm and juicy
- Gold Kist: excellent backyard apricot for warm winter climates … freestone, very good quality
- Katy: large, all-purpose flavorful freestone … tree-ripe fruit is subacid (not tart) … a favorite apricot for warm-winter climates
- Patterson: medium to large with good firm, modestly flavorful flesh
- Royal Rosa: especially nice fruit … sweet, low acid, fine flavor
Any will work in the clafouti I’m offering you today. And, as we move into the season of gorgeous fresh fruit, you’ll want to save this recipe to make other kinds of clafouti, the classic French dessert of fruit baked in a custard base.
As it turned out, the seventh grade wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be. I’m pretty sure the apricots helped with that.
APRICOT CLAFOUTI
Makes about 12 servings
Simmering the pits in the sugar-liquor syrup adds their mild almond flavor to the syrup, and the simmering also cooks off the alcohol in the brandy or liqueur. You can use the clafouti batter with any pitted fruit; in France, the classic choice is cherries, but I’ve made peach, nectarine, berry and many other kinds of clafouti. It’s a terrific dessert when fresh stone fruit or berries are in season.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh apricots, (about 8 medium), pitted and cut into wedges, pits reserved
1 tablespoon plus ⅓ cup sugar, divided
¼ cup brandy or almond liqueur, such as amaretto
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
PREPARATION
Combine apricot pits, one-third cup sugar and brandy or almond liqueur in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat; strain out pits, setting drained liquid aside.
Combine apricots and drained liquid in a large bowl. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10-inch round baking dish or oval casserole with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over the bottom. Drain the apricots (reserving the juices) and arrange in the baking dish.
Place eggs in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale yellow. Add milk, flour, vanilla extract, salt and the reserved juices; beat well to blend. Pour the batter over the apricots.
Bake the clafouti until puffed and golden, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar; serve warm.
