Sign of Summer
Hail the golden rosiness of fresh apricots, a sure sign that summer fruits are on their way. (And a sign that's way tastier than a groundhog.)
Tom Tjerandsen, executive director of the California Fresh Apricot Council, said this year's crop started about 10 days early, "and we've been stampeding along ever since. It will be a good year in terms of taste and general fruit appearance."
If those in the stores right now seem to be on the small side, it is because of the earlier harvest, Tjerandsen said.
"Retailers this year in particular have been desperately waiting for the advent of the fresh-market arrivals because of the fact that the Chilean fruit has moved smoothly through the distribution systems, and normally it would be replaced by things like California avocados, strawberries and Coachella grapes, all of which were significantly impacted by the freeze in January," he noted. "What normally would be filling the produce aisles right now hasn't been available, so the growers have been beating up the apricot shippers to harvest as much as they can and ship as soon as they can to fill that void."
Luckily, this has been a good year for the tart little gems.
The winter freeze benefited apricot growers by giving the trees the right amount of cold weather for optimum fruit development, Tjerandsen said.
Tjerandsen said the early varieties harvested in California will continue for the next few days, and then there will be a gap of about five days before the start of the Patterson harvest, which is more than half of the fresh-market total.
Diana Starkus, marketing supervisor at Whole Foods Market at 8855 W. Charleston Blvd., said apricots from Washington (which Tjerandsen said harvests about 5,000 tons, compared to 30,000 tons from California) will start arriving in June and continue through August.
About 80 percent of fresh apricots, Tjerandsen said, are eaten out of hand as a snack.
"The next most common use would be in fruit salads, then smoothies," he added. "Then you still have a lot of people who make apricot pies, cakes and then as summer rolls along sorbets, ice creams, yogurts and crepes. And you still have people -- the Mason jar set -- who are canning apricots or making jams and chutneys."
Starkus said she plans to offer sessions on grilling apricots and using them on ice cream or salads.
"It's just a new way to enjoy apricots," she said. "A lot of people haven't experimented with caramelizing them on the grill."
Tjerandsen said the apricot's relative tartness is part of its appeal.
"I don't mean to disparage some of the competition, but given the taste profile of some fruit, given the breeding that's been done, you're almost better off eating the box that it came from," he said. "The taste profiles just aren't as intense. And that's one of the reasons for the apricot's popularity -- that it does have that tart taste, with delicate overlays of fabulous, intensely intriguing sensations."
Not that he's biased.
But the apricot is packed with nutrition as well, said Mary Wilson, a registered dietitian and extension nutrition specialist for Nevada Cooperative Extension.
"Nutritionally, ounce for ounce, apricots have more beta carotene (a water-soluble form of vitamin A) than any of the other types of summer fruits," she said.
They're also a good source of vitamin C, potassium and iron, she added.
Three of the small apricots are less than 50 calories and have more than 2,600 international units of vitamin A, which is 52 percent of the recommended daily allowance for men and 65 percent of the RDA for women, Wilson noted.
Ripen firm apricots -- like a peach or nectarine -- in a paper bag at room temperature away from direct sunlight Wilson said. Then put them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag and they'll keep for another day or two, she added
As they ripen, apricots become a little sweeter and a little more mellow.
"We're always trying to push people into more orangey fruits and vegetables because of the nutritional content," Wilson said. "This one really shines."
Here are some ways to use apricots.
APRICOT PECAN WAFFLES
1 pound fresh apricots
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3 large egg whites
Heat waffle iron. Dice apricots. Combine yogurt, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in apricots and pecans.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form and egg whites are shiny. Stir one-fourth of the egg whites into waffle batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. Measure 2/3 cup batter for each waffle.
Cook about 4 minutes.
Serves 8.
-- Recipe from the California Fresh Apricot Council
FRESH APRICOT CE CREAM
1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
1 envelope plain gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups diced ripe apricots (about 3/4 pound)
1 12-ounce can apricot nectar
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
7 pounds small ice cubes
1 cup rock salt or table salt (according to ice cream maker)
Combine milk and gelatin in large saucepan. Heat, stirring often, until gelatin dissolves. Add sugar and heat until it dissolves. Using a wire whip, stir in apricots, apricot nectar, yogurt, and vanilla or orange peel. Pour mixture into canister of ice cream maker and assemble the machine.
Make alternate layers of ice and salt around the canister. Churn 20 to 30 minutes, or until softly frozen. Pack into containers and freeze. For best flavor, let ice cream soften slightly before serving.
Makes about 2 quarts.
-- Recipe from the California Fresh Apricot Council
FAST & FRESH APRICOT ICE CREAM
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 pound ripe apricots, diced
Quickly stir ice cream and apricots together in large bowl to combine. Spoon into freezer container. Freeze for 1 hour; stir mixture to get an even distribution of apricots. Return to freezer and freeze for 3 hours, or until firm. Place ice cream in refrigerator 15 minutes before serving to soften slightly.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups.
-- Recipe from the California Fresh Apricot Council
GLORIOUS APRICOT TART WITH ROASTED ALMOND ICE CREAM
2 3/4 pounds fresh, ripe apricots
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Almond crust, baked and cooled (recipe follows)
Roasted almond ice cream (recipe follows)
Pit and quarter apricots. Combine in a large bowl with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and almond extract. Let sit for 10 minutes, until sugar and cornstarch have dissolved. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange apricot mixture attractively in baked and cooled tart shell, with apricots cut-side-up. Make a foil ring to protect crust from overbrowning and bake 40 to 55 minutes, until apricot mixture is bubbling. Serve with roasted almond ice cream.
Almond crust:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Grind together the almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add flour and pulse until blended. Whisk together egg and cream; add to mixture and pulse until dough comes together. Place dough in a zippered plastic bag and refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes. Press into a 9 1/2-inch tart pan and refrigerate 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake tart shell for 10 minutes; prick with a fork if it has started to puff. Return to oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 10 more minutes, until set and golden. Let cool before filling.
Roasted almond ice cream:
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup roasted, sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Place 1 pint slightly thawed, high-quality vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Stir in almonds and almond extract. Transfer to a plastic container and refreeze.
Serves 12.
-- Recipe from the Almond Board of California
