Apricot and Ginger Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These are scones I make only for family or overnight guest. They are best eaten when eaten warm from the oven and topped with a liberal schmear of apricot jam or clotted cream. They are quite plain in appearance and not sweet enough for all tastes, but they are delicious and have a homey quality about them that I love. They have the added advantage of being easy to make. Both the dried apricots and crystallized ginger are quite sticky when cut, but the task is made much easier if you snip them with scissors rather than attempt to chop them with a knife. The recipe originally came from William Sonoma and I have included their version below. I haven't altered the recipe for my personal use, but I have altered the way the scones are made. I use the food processor to mix dry ingredients and cut in butter. It's a faster, easier and less messy way to make the dough. I pulse the dry ingredients and butter for about 8 seconds and then dump the mixture into a bowl where it can be combined with liquid ingredients. Obviously, you're not locked into apricots and ginger as add-ins. Dried cherries or cranberries are excellent substitutes and about a tablespoon of lemon or orange zest can replace the candied ginger. The are fast and simple to make and if you enjoy less sweet breakfast pastries, save this recipe for a day you can experiment. Here is how they are made.

Small Batch Apricot-Oatmeal Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The last few years, I've made these simple muffins for our Thanksgiving breakfast. I must admit I initially selected the recipe, which comes from the Pillsbury test kitchens, because I didn't want to add a dozen muffins to the already groaning board in my dining room. Small quantity recipes are hard to come by, so I always welcome the opportunity to give them a try when I find them. Chances are you have all the ingredients needed to make these in your pantry and refrigerator. They are simple to make and a great way for a couple or small family to start the day. I do hope you'll be able to give the recipe a try. Here is how the muffins are made.

Small Batch Apricot-Oatmeal Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Pillsbury test kitchen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 6 regular-size muffin cups with shortening or cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups. If using paper liners, spray interior with cooking spray.
2) In medium bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup oats, baking powder and salt. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, milk, oil, vanilla and egg with fork or wire whisk until blended. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Fold in apricots. Divide evenly among 6 muffin cups. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon oats.
3) Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm or cool. Yield: 6 muffins.

      

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Maple-Flavored Cranberry Cornmeal Quick Bread           Quick-Fix Orange Ginger Chicken                  

           Three Years Ago Today:                                                           Four Years Ago Today: 

              Marionberry Muffins                                                               Braised Brussels Sprouts

Apple and Apricot Pie with Streusel Topping

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a dessert for apple lovers who want to spread their wings. The addition of dried apricots adds a hint of tartness that helps to balance the sweetness of the apples and the streusel topping that are used in the pie. This is not a sweet dessert. I suspect that those of you who are fond of barely sweet European pastries will enjoy this, but if you crave sweets you'll probably be happier with an old-fashioned apple pie. This is an easy pastry to make, but the streusel topping is not the type you fling over a filling. It is more cake-like and must be chilled before it is pinched into small pieces that are used to cover the apple and apricot mixture. I cut my apples into 12 segments and I've found that that is a perfect thickness for the slices used in this pie. At the end of an hours baking, they'll be fork tender and juicy but will still retain their shape. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. If you are not so inclined, I hope you'll at least throw some dried apricots into your favorite apple pie and see what transpires. In the meantime, here are the instructions for this pie.

Apple and Apricot Pie with Streusel Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Pastry for single crust pie
Crumb Topping 
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Filling
5 large apples (2-1/2 pounds), such as Granny Smith— peeled, cored, quartered and thickly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup diced dried apricots (2-1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice

Directions:
1) Roll pastry to fit a 9-inch pie or quiche pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) To make streusel: Combine butter and sugar in a small bowl. Blend with a fork until creamy. Mix in egg white and almond extract and stir until incorporated. Sift flour and salt into butter mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3) To make filling: In a bowl, toss apples with sugar and apricots, zest, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of flour. Scrape apples into pie shell and dot with butter. Crumble topping over apples leaving some fruit showing so steam can escape as pie bakes.
4) Bake pie in lower third of oven for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 400 degrees F. and bake until topping is nicely browned and filling is bubbling slightly, about 1 hour. If topping becomes too dark, cover with foil during last 20 minutes of baking. Let pie cool completely before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Stir-Fried Broccoli with Ginger and Garlic

Two Years Ago Today: Rhubarb and Raspberry Swirl Brunch Cake

Three years Ago Today: Apple Cider Quatre Quarts Pound Cake

Four Years Ago Today: Cranberry Dressing

Apple and Apricot Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our Thanksgiving meal this year is not going to be traditional. While many of the dishes I'll be serving hint at their Pilgrim roots, the dishes themselves are pretty far removed from the Mayflower table. I'll post the full menu on Wednesday, but between now and then, I'll be featuring recipes for some of the desserts I'll be making. This tart, while French in origin, is a perfect way to end any holiday meal and I'm going to use it to fullfil the apple requirement of our holiday feast. The inspiration for this pie was Julia Child's, Tarte Aux Pommes. I've add apricots to her recipe to make it less sweet and I've taken some shortcuts that she probably would frown on. To wit, I use commercial applesauce as the base for the tart. It's an enormous time saver and at this time of  year extra minutes count. The apricots make this tart more interesting and they really compliment the flavor of the apples. I use Golden Delicious apples for my baking and they work well in desserts where appearance is as important as taste. This is a gorgeous dessert and I always hate to cut into it. It is easy to make and while most of it can be prepared well ahead of serving the glaze can be problematic. It will start to breakdown after 24 hours and the tart will get weepy. The solution to this, of course,  is to eat the tart the day it is made. My family never lets me down. If you are looking for an apple dessert I hope you will give this one a try. Here's how it is made.

Apple Tart (Tarte Aux Pommes)...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Julia Child

Ingredients:
Partially-cooked 8 or 9-inch tart shell
Apple Slices
3 cup sliced apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8-inch lengthwise slices
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
Filling
3 cups thick, unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup diced dried apricots, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
Grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
Glaze
1/2 cup apricot preserves, forced through a sieve
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:
1) Arrange a rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss sliced apples in a bowl with lemon juice and sugar. Set aside.
2) To make filling: Combine applesauce, diced apricots, apricot preserves, vanilla extract, sugar and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Boil down, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when mounded in a spoon, about 20 minutes. Stir in butter.
3) Turn applesauce into pastry shell. Arrange sliced apples in overlapping concentric circles on top of applesauce. Bake in upper third of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until apples are lightly brown and tender.
4) To make glaze: Mix apricot preserves with sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon and candy thermometer registers 228 degrees F.
5) Remove tart from oven and carefully remove sides of pan. Paint apple topping with warm apricot glaze. Serve tart warm or cold. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Minted Peas with Pearl Onions

Two Years Ago Today: Paratha

Three Years Ago Today: Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These cookies have much to recommend them.  The recipe for them was developed by Giada DeLaurentis and it has received rave reviews on the Food Network Site. I especially like these fruit bars because they transport well, and while I think they're  delicious, I take certain precautions to assure great results that everyone will enjoy. I only make these cookies when I have really good apricot jam or preserves in my pantry.  Fortunately, I have a friend who sends me several jars of my favorite preserves at Christmas time. They are made by Harvest Song and they have the ability to make an ordinary fruit bar truly outstanding. This  recipe also works well with dried cherries and cherry preserves. These bars are completely dependent on the quality of the ingredients  used to make them and I urge you to not to stint if you decide to give them a try. Make sure your jam tastes more of fruit than sugar and that you use a good butter with a low moisture content. The cookies come together quickly and they will keep for several days if they are properly stored. I think you will like these and I hope you will give them a try. Here's the recipe.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis

Ingredients:

Filling

1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1-1/4 cups)
8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)

Crust

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 packed cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Move an oven rack to center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.
2) To make filling: Mix jam and snipped apricots together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) To make crust: Whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl. Stir in oats and walnuts. Add butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
4) Using a fork or clean damp fingers, lightly press half of crust mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread filling over crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge of pan. Cover filling with remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

One Year Ago Today: The Good Woman's Cod Fish Casserole

Two Years Ago Today: Greek-Style Flatbread Pizza

Three Years Ago Today: Fresh Mango Chutney

Apricot and Almond Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those who like European-style cookies will really enjoy this nut shortbread that gets a flavor boost from the addition of dried apricots and a drizzle of Amaretto icing. The cookies are barely sweet, so I know they won't be to everyone's liking, but if you are looking for a new cookie to serve with tea or espresso, I urge you to take a good look at the recipe below. I love these cookies and the ease with which they come together. The recipe was developed by Giada De Laurentis who has two versions of it available. One is made with dried cherries, the other with dried apricots. I favor the one made with apricots and recommend it to you without reservation. The cookie is very easy to make, but because the dough must chill for several hours before baking, you'll need to factor wait time into your plans should you decide to try them. They are worth waiting for. While the dough for the cookies can be frozen, the baked cookies are not great keepers, so don't make more of them than can be eaten within 48 hours or so. I do hope you will try them. Here's the recipe.

Apricot and Almond Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Icing
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur

Directions:
Cookies
1) In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in eggs. Add flour and beat on the lowest speed until just blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dried apricots and nuts.
2) Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance).
3) Arrange an oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
4) Cut log crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Transfer the dough slices to prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and puffed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing, about 30 minutes. Yield: 48 cookies.
Icing
5) Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in Amaretto, until the mixture becomes a drizzling consistency.
6) Put cooled cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or a fork, drizzle cookies with icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto baking sheet. Allow icing to set before serving, about 1 hour.










One Year Ago Today: Pumpkin Peanut Risotto













Two Years Ago Today: Moroccan Carrots

Apricot Souffle - Pink Saturday

Spring is finally here! Have a wonderful weekend.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I made a quantity of apricot jam this week, and, when you have a lots of it on hand, it becomes imperative to find ways in which to use it. This simple recipe is at the top of my list. It was developed by Alice Waters 40 years ago and it is as good today as it was them. Now, I'm perfectly willing to admit that only a fool would try to capture the airy quality of a souffle with a point and shoot camera, but I'm a very slow learner, so I proceeded anyway. I did some advance planning and today's pictures represent my best effort to date. Plans and good intentions aside, my souffle began to deflate as soon as it was taken from the oven and, even moving on the wings of eagles, mine had lost an inch of its height before I could snap its picture. I hope you'll trust me when I tell you that this is a luscious dessert. It may only be gorgeous for a minute, but the wonderful flavor of the souffle saves the day, and only your pride will be hurt should you decide to try it. It is important to use a really good apricot jam when you make this. The recipe is basically jam and beaten egg whites and when so few ingredients are used it's really important to use the best you can find. I hope you try this. It's not hard to do and the result, while a bit homely, is delicious. Here's the recipe.

Apricot Souffle...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Alice Waters

Ingredients:
1/2 cup strained good quality apricot jam
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon amaretto, kirsch, or orange liqueur
6 egg whites
Finely chopped almonds
8 ramekins with 1/2 cup capacity each, or a 1 quart souffle dish

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter and and coat a 1-quart souffle dish or 8 (1/2-cup) ramekins with sugar. Set aside.
2) Combine jam with egg yolks and liqueur in a large bowl. If jam is very thick, pour it into a saucepan and gently warm it until it melts. Cool slightly, then stir in egg yolks and liqueur.
3) Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
4) Working in three parts, gently fold egg whites into jam/yolk base.
5) Pour mixture into prepared dish(es). For best visual effect, fill dish(es) all the way to the top. Sprinkle top with almonds.
6) Place ramekins or souffle dish into oven, or place on a baking sheet to catch drips.
7) Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. For a large dish, bake for 20-25 minutes (until risen and golden on top). For the small ramekins, bake for 10-12 minutes (until risen and golden on top). Yield: 8 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Cold Lime Souffle - One Perfect Bite
Cranberry Souffle - One Perfect Bite
Crock-Pot Dried Apricot Jam - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Crock-Pot Dried Apricot Jam

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a huge store of dried apricots in the pantry. I used a dehydrator for the first time last summer and my over zealous experimentation led to storing far more of the fruit than I could sensibly use. To make matters worse, I forgot the fruit was stored and didn't find it until I began to clean the pantry today. The apricots still retained their color, so I decided to use them to make some jam and a glaze for tarts that I'll be baking later in the week. I have a crock-pot recipe that uses dried apricots to make jam. The recipe is really easy and the only trick is cooking the jam to the consistency you want. No pectin is used in this recipe because apricots are high pectin fruits and the jam will "set" of its own accord if you cook it long enough. If the jam will be kept in your pantry, make sure you sterilize the jars and caps you plan to use for storage. I actually prefer frozen jams, so I bypass that step and make quick work of the very few steps needed to make these beautiful preserves. The frozen preserves retain a lovely amber glow that is muddied in the sterilization process. I can't over emphasize how important it is to cut or shred the fruit into small pieces. Whole apricots are neither attractive or spreadable. They are actually too large to be used to make either jam or preserves. For those who may not know the distinction between jellies, jams and preserves, I have a super short primer. A jelly is made from fruit juice and has no trace of fruit in it. Jam is made by boiling bits of fruit and preserves are basically the same as jam except chunks of fruit are used. The fresh jam will keep in the refrigetor for up to a month and it can be safely frozen for up to a year. If you wish, small amounts or herbs or spices can be added to the completed jam. Here's the base recipe.

Crock-Pot Apricot Jam...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/4 pound dried apricots
2 cups sugar
3-1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Chop apricots finely using a knife or food processor. Place in a 3-1/2 quart crockpot with sugar and water and stir to combine. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 2-1/2 hours, stirring twice during cooking. Uncover and add lemon juice and salt> Cover again and cook on high 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
2) Ladle preserves into clean, hot jam jars, seal tightly, and keep refrigerated up to 1 month. You can process the jars in a boiling water bath if desired, but follow instructions from your county extension agent carefully. The jam can also be frozen, Yield: 4 to 6 pint jars.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Pumpkin Butter - One Perfect Bite
Tomato Jam - One Perfect Bite
Popovers and Strawberry Butter - One Perfect Bite

This recipe is also being linked to:

Crock Pot Wednesday - Dining with Debbie

Swedish Coffee Ring with Apricots and Almonds

BBB is a monthly baking adventure sponsored by a group of twelve women who call themselves the Bread Baking Babes. This month's host is Cookie Baker Lynn. She selected a recipe for a Christmas wreath that looks absolutely beautiful and it has an almond filling that guarantees it will be delicious. Despite a wonderful recipe, Lynn gave the babes and their buddies (that would be me) free reign to vary the dough and filling, but she did ask that the bread be shaped as a wreath. She didn't say a word about the name! Now in my book a wreath and a ring are the same thing, and Christmas had passed, so I altered the name a wee bit. The recipe Lynn choose had a marvelous sweet dough so I decided to use that, but after some thought I chose to use an apricot filling for my version of the coffee bread. It worked out nicely. The filling is less sweet than many, but additional sugar can be added to taste. The dough is wonderfully easy to work with and it withstood even my clumsy attempts at artistry. I didn't embarrass myself but if you want to see some beautiful creations take a look at the wreaths these women produced. I'm also sending this entry to Susan at Wild Yeast who hosts a weekly event called Yeast Spotting.


Swedish Coffee Ring with Apricots and Almonds

Ingredients:
1 pound dried apricots
2 cups water
1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup sugar, divided use + additional sugar to taste
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, divided use
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 toasted almond slivers
Glaze (optional)

Directions:
1) Place apricots and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Cover. Let stand for 2 hours.
2) Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Place in bowl of an electric stand mixer; add milk, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, 1 egg, cardamom, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
3) Turn dough onto lightly floured surface: knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
4) Bring apricots and water back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until apricots are soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer apricots and any remaining liquid to the bowl of a food processor. Puree. Add orange liqueur, lemon juice and reserved 3/4 cup sugar. Pulse to combine. Add additional sugar to taste. Set aside.
5) Punch down dough. Roll into rectangle, 15 x 9-inches, on a lightly floured surface. Spread with apricot filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Roll tightly, lengthwise. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well. Stretch roll to make even. With sealed edge down, shape into ring on lightly greased cookie sheet. Pinch ends together.
6) With scissors or kitchen shears, make cuts 2/3 of way through the ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each section on it's side (90 degree turn). Cover loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise until double, about 40 to 50 minutes.
7) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat reserved egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water. Liberally brush over ring. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
8) To make optional glaze: Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon water and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's International Cookbook