Apricot Fruit

Apricots, with their vibrant color and unique shape, make excellent jams and preserves and are beautiful table decorations. Whether they're fresh-colored fruit in a bowl or a few slices adorning an apricot tart, their visual appeal is undeniable. This aesthetic value adds a touch of elegance to your culinary creations, making them even more enjoyable.

You can find apricots prepared in various forms: dried, jammed, and cubed jellies, to name a few. They are also excellent for dessert tart fillings. You can make a superb apricot tart using Pate Sucree tart crust. And you can even find apricot BBQ sauces. The fruit is best when cooked in some manner, as cooking creates flavor. Apricots are an attractive-looking fruit with yellow to deep orange colors. They are seasonal fruits; the typical peak season is May through July in the US.

Apricot Jam

One of the best ways to enjoy them is with a spread of butter and Jam on a nice piece of toast. Jam, jelly, or preserves are all great with breakfast toast. France is renowned for its apricot preserves. The French apricot varieties are typically in peak season from mid-May to mid-August.

Dried Apricots

As fresh apricots are seasonal, dried apricots allow you to enjoy them year-round. They have a long shelf life and are a great item to keep stocked in your pantry. You can rehydrate dried apricots for use in desserts and sauces. You can soak the dried fruit overnight in water. You can cook them in a small saucepan with water and sugar the next day. This preparation gives you an excellent base for many desserts or sauces.

California Sun Dried Apricots

My journey with apricots began with my mom, who learned the art of drying apricots from her mother, a tradition from France. Back in the 1940s, she would dry apricots on the garage roof of their Los Angeles home. Today, we have the convenience of California sun-dried apricots, a delicious and more accessible alternative to drying them ourselves. Companies like Traina in the San Joaquin Valley of California still use the traditional sun-dried method, providing us with the same sun-kissed flavor without the hassle.