Poached Dried Apricots And Currants With Zabaglione Food

VANILLA-POACHED APRICOTS WITH ZABAGLIONE

Steps:

• Poach apricots:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a 2-quart saucepan, then add pod, water, sugar, zest, and salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat, then boil 1 minute.
• Carefully add apricots, then reduce heat and poach at a bare simmer, turning over once, until fruit is tender but still holds its shape and skins are still intact, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer apricots and syrup to a large shallow bowl and cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Make zabaglione:
• Beat together yolks, sugar, and wine in a deep 4-quart metal bowl with a handheld electric mixer at medium speed or whisk vigorously until combined well.
• Set bowl over a 4-quart pot of barely simmering water and beat mixture until tripled in volume, 5 to 6 minutes.
• To serve:
• Spoon 2 or 3 apricot halves into each of 6 glasses and top with zabaglione. Serve immediately.

POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Wash and then soak the dried apricots in 2 cups of water overnight.
• Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Drain the apricots over a bowl. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan and add the sugar, cardamom pods, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add the apricots. Cover the apricots with a small sheet of parchment paper. Cover the pan and poach the apricots in a 300-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Then let the apricots cool in their liquid; then chill.
• Just before serving, lift out the apricots to drain. Mix the yogurt and ricotta together, open each apricot and stuff it with the yogurt mixture. Place the stuffed apricots on a serving plate, spoon over a little syrup. Garnish with pistachios. Recommended drink: Camomile Tea, infused with cardamom, cinnamon and clove

ZABAGLIONE WITH POACHED DRIED APRICOTS AND CURRANTS

Steps:

• Rub together sugar, zest, and vanilla seeds in a medium heatproof bowl using your fingers. Add yolks. Whisk until pale and creamy. Whisk in Vin Santo and salt. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until mixture thickens and doubles in volume, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

COUSCOUS WITH DRIED APRICOTS, CURRANTS, AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• In each of two 3-quart saucepans bring half of water, oil, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and apricots to a boil. Stir 1 box couscous into each pan and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to 2 shallow baking pans to cool as quickly as possible. Cool couscous completely and with your fingers break up any large lumps. Couscous may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring couscous to room temperature before proceeding.
• Fluff couscous with fork again and stir in currants, pistachios, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

POACHED MAHI MAHI (WITH MUSHROOMS AND APRICOTS)

Steps:

• Quarter dried mushrooms and chop apricots
• Place quartered mushrooms and apricots in a bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over; let stand for 15 minutes; strain, reserving liquid
• To the strained liquid add coriander, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper to taste
• Reconstitute enough instant powdered milk to add to the strained liquid to make 2 cups, (about 1 cup); stir and set aside
• Cut the Mahi Mahi fillet down the middle to make two steaks
• In a nonstick, deep frypan, sprayed with veggie spray, over medium high heat, saute quartered mushrooms, chopped apricots and shallots for 4 minutes
• Add Mahi Mahi fillets, skin side up, cook for 1 minute
• Add reserved liquid mixture, bring to simmer and simmer for 8 minutes or until fish flakes
• Remove fish and place on platter skin side down and keep warm
• Make a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water, add to frypan, stir and bring to boil, cook for 2 minutes or until liquid thickens
• Pour thickened mushroom/apricot sauce over Mahi Mahi fillets and serve

APRICOT MIGNONETTE

Steps:

• Combine the shallots, cracked pepper, dried apricots, white wine, and cider vinegar in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Stir well to combine, and set aside. Divide into four small bowls, and garnish with tarragon before serving.

POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Soak apricots in cold water for 1/2 hour or more.
• Transfer with soaking water to large pan.
• Add sugar, scrape seeds from vanilla beans.
• Add seeds and pod to the pan.
• Bring slowly to a simmer.
• Cook gently till very tender - about 40 minutes.
• Cool then strain.
• Place strained off juice into pot and reduce over heat by 1/3 or.
• till syrupy.
• Cool then serve apricots and juice with cream.

POACHED TURKISH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Pre-soak the apricots in boiling water just cover them. Add water as needed to keep apricots just covered.
• When the apricots are moist and swollen, remove them and place the apricots in a glass bowl with the brandy and orange juice let them steep for 20 minutes.
• Place the apricots in a sauce pan with the juice and brandy, add the honey, orange rinds, cardamom seeds and almonds and cook for 10 minutes.
• Lift the apricots from the pot with slotted spoon place in a bowl till needed, add a little more honey and brandy to the almonds and cook for a few minutes more.
• Stir the apricots back into the nuts gently.
• Sauce: Heat the cream and reduce by half, add the Amarula and heat through, remove from the heat.
• Spoon the Amarula cream onto 6 white plates.
• Place a round of ginger bread in the middle of each puddle and spoon over the apricots and nuts.

POACHED APRICOTS WITH ROSEWATER

Steps:

• Put the sugar into a medium pan with 150ml water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then add the apricots and simmer for 15 mins until soft. Take off the heat, splash in the rosewater and leave to cool. Spoon into glasses to serve, topped with a few dollops of the yogurt and a scattering of nuts.

POACHED APRICOTS WITH PISTACHIO AND AMARETTO MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Poach the apricots: Add Sauternes, lime half, vanilla, sugar and 3 tablespoons/40 milliliters water to a saucepan just big enough to hold the apricot halves in one layer. Place the pan over high heat and cook until the sugar has melted and the liquid boils.
• Remove the pan from the heat and place the apricots in the hot liquid, cut sides down. Leave them to poach in the residual heat until they are soft but still hold their shape (20 to 40 minutes, depending on how ripe they are) flipping them every 10 minutes. Set the apricots aside to cool slightly. (If not serving immediately, transfer the apricots to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.) Squeeze the lime into the syrup and then discard it; return the saucepan with the syrup to medium-high heat and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup/70 milliliters, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
• Prepare the mascarpone mixture: Combine pistachios, amaretti cookies and sugar. Add three-quarters of this mixture to a bowl with the mascarpone and mix it all together until combined, then fold in the cream.
• To serve, divide the apricots and the amaretti cream between four bowls. Pour the syrup over the apricots and sprinkle the remaining amaretti and pistachio crumble over the cream. Finish with orange blossom water and lime zest and serve.

POACHED APRICOTS

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apricots are soft but not mushy, about 22 minutes.