The Bergeron, the most cultivated apricot in France, comes from the Rhône Valley. With its melting heart when fully ripe, it is also one of the most succulent. It is closely followed by the Orangé de Provence, which is a little sweeter, or the Orangered with firm flesh and a musky scent. All these varieties are available from the end of June (even earlier if the heat is there like this year). With some differences in tastes and colors, the varieties of apricots most consumed in France all lend themselves to eating toasted, stewed or even pan-fried…
A natural source of minerals, apricot is highly recommended for athletes. Their high muscle activity requires good intakes of potassium, iron, copper and magnesium present in good quantities in it. Rich in vitamin A, apricot greatly promotes cell growth in the body and helps to strengthen the functioning of the immune system in pregnant women.
Apricots are often treated with sulfur dioxide to retain their color and certain nutrients, which can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. It is useful to know that people with asthma should always read the list of ingredients carefully to ensure that the dried apricots they consume do not contain sulfites. Apricots are also made up of different antioxidants, particularly phenolic compounds from the flavonoid family. Various studies show that the compounds can neutralize free radicals in the body and thus prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and various chronic diseases.
Bulgur salad with roasted apricots, rosemary and feta (for 2 people):
An original recipe proposed by the blog My happy fridge…
80 grams of bulgur
2 good handfuls of “young shoots” salad
6 apricots
Brown sugar
A tiny bit of butter
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 packet of feta
A mix of seeds
1/2 chicken cube
Prepare the apricots:cut them in half, sprinkle them with brown sugar, a small knob of butter and rosemary. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Prepare the bulgur:like quinoa, put the same amount of water as bulgur in a glass. First put the water to boil with 1/2 chicken cube then when the water boils, remove from the hot plate and add the bulgur. Put a lid on the pan and let the bulgur swell. Dressing:mix the lettuce and bulgur and put them in a nice bowl or plate. Then add the seeds, crumble the feta and add the apricots.
Rustic tart, peach, apricot, pistachio &basil:
The famous and classic apricot tart but revisited by the site ptitchef!
For the almond shortcrust pastry:
150g butter (cold)
200g flour
90 ml water (cold)
50 g ground almonds
25 g of sugar
1 pinch of salt
For the garnish:
3 apricots
2 peaches
50 g of pistachio chips
1 tbsp lemon juice
80g of brown sugar
A few basil leaves
In a bowl, mix the flour, ground almonds and sugar. Add the salt and the butter in small cubes, then crush the pieces of butter between your fingers with the flour-almond powder mixture. Once everything is homogeneous, make a well in the center of the dough and pour in the water. Mix until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers, cover the ball of dough and leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour. After an hour, roll out the dough on parchment paper so that it is about 30 cm in diameter. Chill your dough. While the dough is chilling, cut the fruit into small wedges (8-10 per fruit). Preheat your oven to 180°C. Take your dough out of the fridge. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, 50gr of brown sugar and half of the pistachio chips, spread this mixture on the bottom of the pie, leaving a 4cm border. Then place the fruit quarters, interspersing peach and apricot. Fold the edges over the fruit. Then sprinkle the top of the pie with the remaining broken pistachios, the brown sugar and the shaved butter. Bake for 30 to 40 until the dough is lightly golden.
Light cottage cheese and apricot ice cream (for 4 people):
A good recipe offered once again on the blog The icing on the jersey…
500g ripe apricots
500g cottage cheese
50g of sugar
Wash the apricots, cut them in half and pit them. Put the fromage blanc, the apricots and the sugar in the bowl of the food processor. Mix quite finely but still leave small pieces. If you have an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream for 30 minutes then store in the freezer in a suitable box with lid. Otherwise, pour the preparation into a box with lid and put in the freezer. Let the ice cream set for about 3 hours, stirring it regularly.
