Apricot Yogurt Fool Food

APRICOT FOOL

Steps:

• To make the apricot puree, peel your apricots either with a paring knife, or by scoring an X on the bottoms and blanching for about 30 seconds. Remove the pits and blend until puree forms. Set aside.
• Use a whisk or mixer to beat cold whipping cream with icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Swirl in apricot puree. Feel free to leave streaks of the puree or to stir in completely.
• Layer into your desired glass with crumbled vanilla wafer cookies and garnish with a sprig of mint and some slices of apricot for garnish!

QUICK APRICOT FOOL

Steps:

• Place the apricots in a food processor and puree.
• Strain the puree through a sieve to remove bits of skin. Return the apricots to the food processor with the nectar or juice and cream and process about 30 seconds, until smooth.
• Spoon the mixture into four goblets and chill them at least two hours before serving.
• Dust each serving lightly with cinnamon.

APRICOT YOGURT FOOL

Steps:

• Place the apricots, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon sticks in a pan, cover and cook gently for about 15 mins, until the apricots are very soft. Remove the cinnamon sticks and set aside to cool.
• Spoon the yogurt into a bowl and stir in the lemon zest. Fold in most of the cooled apricots, spoon into 4 serving glasses and top with the remaining fruit and any juices.

APRICOT-YOGURT PARFAIT WITH CALIFORNIA GRANOLA

Steps:

• For the granola: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or brush lightly with canola oil.
• Combine the oats, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Combine the honey, canola oil, olive oil, sugar, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until combined. Turn the mixture out onto an 11- by 7-inch jelly-roll pan, and spread into an even layer.
• Bake, stirring and re-spreading the mixture into an even layer every 5 minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Immediately turn the granola out onto another jelly-roll pan to cool and stop the cooking process. Stir in the apricots and raisins and then spread the granola evenly in the pan. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen any dried granola with a spatula and store in an airtight container.
• For the parfait: Combine the nectar, apricots, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the apricots are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover. Let the mixture chill in the fridge.
• Fold the apricot puree into the yogurt (don't combine completely), and layer in parfait glasses with the California granola.

APRICOT ORANGE YOGURT MUFFINS

Steps:

• In large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
• In separate bowl whisk together eggs, yogurt and butter and pour over dry ingredients.
• Sprinkle with apricots and orange rind.
• Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Scoop into greased or paper lined muffin cups, filling to top.
• Bake in centre of 375 oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and tops are firm to the touch.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before serving warm.

ITALIAN APRICOT FOOL

Steps:

• Put the apricot halves in a saucepan with the lemon zest and juice and the sugar. Shake the pan to combine, then simmer, uncovered, over a medium heat until the apricots are soft. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
• Tip the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor and whizz to a purée. Decant into a bowl, stir in the liqueur and leave to cool - about 20-30 minutes.
• Soften the mascarpone in its tub by whisking it vigorously with a fork. Whip the cream in a bowl - you want it softly whipped not stiff. Fold in the mascarpone with a large metal spoon, then lightly swirl in the apricot purée to make a pattern.
• Spoon the mixture into six wine glasses. (At this point, they'll keep in the fridge for up to a day.) To serve, crumble over the amaretti, with a few on the side for dunking.

APRICOT YOGURT FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
• Makes enough to frost two 9-inch layers.

APRICOT YOGURT BAKED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180c.
• Place the apricots in a saucepan, just cover with water and simmer for 5 minutes until tender.
• Allow to cool.
• Place apricots and water in a mixing bowl, then stir in the yogurt, sugar or honey, flour, sultanas and eggs.
• Mix well and pour into cheesecake dish or your prepared crust.
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until browned and set.
• Cool on a rack.

YOGURT MOUSSE WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make mousse:
• Drain yogurt in a paper-towel-lined sieve set into a bowl in refrigerator, discarding liquid occasionally, 8 hours, then transfer to a clean bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod into remaining 3/4 cup milk in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod, sugar, and zest and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set into a metal bowl, discarding solids, then set bowl in a larger bowl half-filled with ice and cold water and let stand, stirring frequently, until cool, about 10 minutes.
• Add milk mixture gradually to yogurt, whisking. Beat cream with an electric mixer at high speed until it just holds soft peaks, then fold into yogurt mixture gently but thoroughly. Chill mousse, covered, folding twice in first 20 minutes, until set, about 2 hours.
• Make sauce while mousse chills:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod into a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod, sugar, water, apricots, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice and cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring frequently and skimming off any foam, until fruit is tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Add lemon juice to taste and discard pod. Serve sauce topped with mousse.

APRICOT FOOL

Steps:

• Remove the pits from the apricots and stew them gently with the water and sugar until tender.
• Puree the cooked fruit.
• Cool.
• Stir the liqueur into the cold apricot puree and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
• Layer alternative spoonfuls of apricot mixture and sour cream into six indidual serving glasses.
• Chill before serving.

APRICOT FROZEN YOGURT

Steps:

• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add apricots, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until plump and very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain apricots in a sieve set over a bowl, then return syrup to pan. Cook syrup over moderate heat, swirling pan occasionally, until a deep caramel, 4 to 5 minutes. (Syrup will bubble, so remove from heat periodically to check color.)
• Carefully add 1/2 cup water to caramel (mixture will bubble up and steam vigorously), then cook over moderate heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Purée apricots and caramel in a food processor until almost smooth, then cool to room temperature.
• Whisk together apricot purée and yogurt in a large bowl until combined well and chill, covered, until cold, about 4 hours.
• Sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 cup water in a very small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin over moderate heat, stirring, until dissolved, then immediately whisk into apricot mixture.
• Freeze apricot mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

APRICOTS, YOGURT, AND HONEY

Steps:

• 1. Top each apricot half with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt, drizzle with the honey, sprinkle with the pistachios, and serve.
• 2. While it's not necessary, if you want to give your plain (i.e., non-Greek) yogurt a thicker consistency, line a sieve with a paper coffee filter and set it over a bowl. Empty an 8-ounce container into the sieve, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

APRICOT FOOL

Steps:

• Place fruit in medium bowl; fold in whipped topping.
• Spoon into 6 serving dishes or parfait glasses.
• Garnish each serving with coconut.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.
• TIP: To toast coconut, spread on cookie sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes until light golden brown, stirring occasionally.

APRICOT YOGURT CAKE WITH ORANGE HONEY SYRUP

Steps:

• Let the yogurt drain in a fine sieve set over a bowl, covered and chilled, overnight and measure out 1 cup of the drained yogurt, reserving the remaining yogurt for another use.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan. Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and a pinch of salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the 1 cup drained yogurt, beating until the mixture is just combined. Add the flour mixture, beat the batter until it is just combined, and stir in the apricots and the walnuts.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering to it. Put the cake in the pan on a rack set over foil, pour the orange honey syrup over it, and let the cake absorb the syrup. The cake may be made 2 days in advance and kept in the pan covered with plastic wrap and foil and chilled. Remove the side of the pan and garnish the cake with the mint sprigs.