Apricots Stuffed With Almonds Food

BAKED APRICOTS WITH ALMOND TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Process almonds and brown sugar in a food processor until almonds are finely chopped. Add butter; process until just combined.
• Place apricot halves, cut sides up, in buttered baking dish. Cover top of each apricot half with almond mixture. Bake until apricots are soft and almond mixture is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer 3 apricot halves to each serving plate. Serve warm.

APRICOTS STUFFED WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Slice apricots on one side to form a pitalike pocket. Grind remaining ingredients in a small food processor until fine. Stuff each apricot with mixture and serve.

APRICOT ALMOND TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes; set aside to cool.
• Process almonds in a food processor, pulsing until coarsely chopped; add apricots, honey, cinnamon, ginger, and salt processing until everything is finely chopped and sticks together, about 45 seconds.
• Using your hands roll mixture into round balls (about a heaping teaspoon each) and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
• Melt half the chocolate in a double boiler; stir in remaining chocolate, stirring to melt.
• Roll balls in chocolate to coat and place back on baking sheet.
• Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes; store at room temperature.

ALMOND-CRUSTED CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• In small bowl combine cherries, apricots, port and water.
• Cover and set aside 6 hours or overnight.
• Drain liquid into small saucepan.
• Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons fruit onto center of each chicken piece.
• Fold both sides over fruit to overlap, and secure with bamboo skewer or wooden picks.
• Into three shallow bowls place flour, egg and almonds mixed with bread crumbs.
• Thoroughly coat each filled chicken piece with flour, then egg, then almond mixture.
• Place on plate in single layer; cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• In 12-inch skillet heat butter and oil over medium heat.
• Pan-fry the chicken bundles, turning once, until well browned, about 5 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to baking sheet and finish cooking in center of oven 8 to 10 minutes, being sure chicken juices run clear.
• Meanwhile, add the shallots to the port mixture and reduce by half over medium-high heat.
• At the same time, in another saucepan, reduce the cream by half.
• Strain the port mixture into the reduced cream.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle hot sauce onto eight serving plates, dividing equally.
• Remove skewers and place chicken on sauce.
• Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

ALMOND-APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Place apricots and whisky in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and set aside. Turn apricots in warm whisky from time to time while continuing with preparation.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, 1/4 cup ground almonds, salt and granulated sugar in a bowl or food processor. Whisk to combine. By hand or machine, add butter, pulsing or using a pastry blender to make a crumbly mixture. Beat egg yolk with 4 tablespoons cold water and add, mixing or pulsing until ingredients come together to form a dough. Add a little more water as needed.
• Shape pastry into a flattened disk on a floured surface and roll to fit a 9-inch straight-sided tart pan. Prick the bottom. Line with foil and pastry weights and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake 10 minutes more, until lightly golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Drain apricots, reserving any whisky. Tightly line pastry shell with apricots. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup ground almonds and confectioners' sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk mascarpone until smooth. Beat 2 remaining eggs and add to mascarpone along with reserved whisky and almond extract. Mix into combined almonds and confectioners' sugar. Pour over apricots in pastry shell.
• Place tart in oven and bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle sliced almonds around the outside edge of the tart filling to form a border about an inch wide. Return to oven and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling is puffed and lightly browned. Remove from oven, place on a rack and let cool to room temperature before serving.

ALMOND-APRICOT CHICKEN WITH MINT PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a slit in one side of each chicken breast to create a pocket about 4 inches long.
• In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almonds with the goat cheese and apricots. Stuff each breast with 1/4 of the mixture. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• On a plate, combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Dip each breast into egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven; bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with pesto on the side.

APRICOT ALMOND STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place torn croissant pieces, chopped onion, sliced almonds, tarragon, thyme, parsley, quartered apricot bits, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, apricot preserves (or jam), and half of the chicken broth; stir until blended. Pour the broth mixture over the stuffing mixture.
• Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to toss the stuffing mixture until all the ingredients are well blended. Use as much of the remaining broth--adding a little at a time--as is needed to get the stuffing thoroughly moist (but not saturated or "soupy"). I usually use nearly all of the 2 cups of broth, with maybe 1/8 cup or so not used (I've never really measured the unused portion).
• Place stuffing in a 10x10-inch baking dish, cover, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
• NOTE - I don't usually grease my pyrex casserole dish for this stuffing, and I have never had a problem with the stuffing sticking to the edges or bottom, and the clean-up is very easy (no crusty pieces stuck to the dish). But, depending on what type of dish you use to roast the stuffing, you might want to first lightly butter your baking dish or lightly coat it with a no-stick cooking spray.
• TIP - Take advantage of sales, and buy day-old croissants at a reduced price when you plan to make this dish. They will be well moistened with the buttery broth, so it won't matter if they are a bit dry.

APRICOT, ALMOND & POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 20-23cm round cake tin. If it has a loose bottom, you will need to wrap the outside with foil to prevent any of the caramel from leaking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the apricots, put the granulated sugar and 75ml water into a saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved. When the sugar has melted, bring to the boil and watch the syrup until it starts to turn to a deep amber colour. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until it has melted. Pour into the tin, then lay the apricots in it, cut-side down.
• For the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light with an electric whisk. Add the egg a little at a time, then the zest and almond extract. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then fold them gradually into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. Spoon this over the apricots and bake for 50 mins. To test it's baked, push a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean.
• Leave the cake to cool for 15 mins, then run a knife in-between the cake and the inside of the tin and invert it onto a plate. If any of the apricot halves get left behind in the tin carefully scoop them up - trying to keep their shape intact and not squash them too much - and put them back, cut-side up, on the cake. Leave the cake to cool, or serve warm if you want.
• Heat the apricot jam with 2 tbsp of water. Once the jam has dissolved, push it through a sieve to remove the bits of apricot. Leave it to cool a little - otherwise it overcooks the apricots, which should be perfectly cooked and not collapsing - then paint the jam thickly on the top of the cake. Leave this to set a little, then serve with crème fraîche or cream, if you like.