Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit and Flavorings
- 500 g fresh apricots, halved and pitted
- 50 g caster sugar
- 45 ml kirsch
- 30 g unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 192 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 26 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 24 g
- Sodium
- 2 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 326 mg
- Calcium
- 18 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 13 mg
- Phosphorus
- 31 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 171 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 13 mg
- Vitamin E
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.04 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.06 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 11 mcg
- Water
- 109 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F.
Wash, dry, and carefully cut the apricots in half, removing and discarding the pits using a paring knife.
Arrange the apricot halves in a baking dish in a single layer, ensuring the cut sides are facing upwards.
Evenly sprinkle the caster sugar over the cut faces of the apricots, then carefully drizzle the kirsch over the top. Dot the fruit evenly with the diced unsalted butter.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 15 to 20 minutes. The apricots are done when they have softened, released their juices, and the edges are lightly caramelized.
Remove from the oven and allow the apricots to rest in their syrup for 5 minutes before serving.
Chef's Notes
- While some of the alcohol cooks off during baking, a trace amount and the distinct flavor profile remain. Serve this to adults only.
- For a textural contrast, serve these warm apricots alongside cold mascarpone, vanilla bean ice cream, or tangy creme fraiche.
- If your apricots are particularly tart early in the season, you may want to increase the sugar by 15 grams to balance the acidity.
- The empty pits from stone fruit like apricots actually contain a flavor compound similar to bitter almond. Traditional French recipes sometimes crack a pit and bake the kernel alongside the fruit to enhance the flavor, though this is optional.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container with all the baking juices.
Reheating: Reheat gently in the microwave or a low oven until warm.
Troubleshooting
Apricots collapsed into mush
Cause: The fruit was too overripe or baked for too long
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the resulting compote is excellent stirred into yogurt or spooned over pound cake
Prevention: Select apricots that yield slightly to pressure but still hold a firm shape, and monitor closely during the last 5 minutes of baking
Syrup is too thin and watery
Cause: The apricots released a lot of water and the liquid did not reduce enough
Fix: Carefully pour the liquid into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced, then pour back over the fruit
Prevention: Ensure the oven is fully preheated to the correct temperature to encourage evaporation
Cultural Context
Baking fresh stone fruits with a splash of liqueur and a dusting of sugar is a hallmark of French country cooking. This approach highlights seasonal produce at its absolute peak, relying on heat to concentrate the natural sugars rather than masking the fruit behind heavy batters or crusts.
