Apricot season is here, and I could not wait to grab those little gems and indulge in their natural sweetness with this honey-vanilla poached apricot dessert. This recipe is as simple as it can be.
Few fruits make me happier than fresh summer apricots. Every year, I wait impatiently for apricot season to arrive because there is something so irresistible about their sweet fragrance, delicate tartness, and velvety texture.
This honey vanilla poached apricot dessert is one of my favorite ways to celebrate them at their absolute peak. Gently simmered in a luscious bath of honey, vanilla, and sugar, the apricots become soft, fragrant, and incredibly elegant while still allowing their natural flavor to shine.
What I love most about this dessert is how simple yet elegant it is. The honey and vanilla beautifully enhance the sweet, sun-ripened apricots, creating a dessert that tastes like summer in every bite.
These poached apricots prove that when ingredients are at their best, simple is often best.
In this Article
- A few words about the honey
- A Note From Giangi
- Ingredients needed to make this recipe
- Step by step on how to make this delicious apricot dessert
- Equipment Needed
- Giangi’s Pro Tips
- What dishes can you enjoy with this apricot dessert?
- Variations
- Storing
- Frequently Asked Questions
- If you enjoy this apricot recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
- Honey Vanilla Poached Apricot Dessert
A few words about the honey
I often use honey, and living in Arizona, I am very fortunate to have incredibly unique and sought-after honey at my fingertips, thanks to the diverse desert flora.
As a state, Arizona produces only a fraction of the nation’s total commercial honey, but thanks to our amazing weather, our local beekeeping is robust, and our growing season is almost year-round.
Bees enjoy native desert plants, creating rich, mild, and delicate flavored honeys rarely found elsewhere, such as mesquite, palo verde, orange blossom, and prickly pear cactus.
With this recipe, I used mesquite honey, my all-time favorite.
Do use your locally grown honey if you can, or ensure you are buying 100% pure, unmodified, raw, unfiltered honey.
If you ever visit our state, Arizona, you must take a couple of jars home with you. You will love them, and they are also amazing as a sweetener in your tea.
A Note From Giangi
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
This is a short introduction. The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Vanilla bean is the best flavoring for all desserts, and here it pairs amazingly with the fresh fruit.
Water is the base for creating the sauce that the apricots will soften in.
Honey and Granulated sugar both add sweetness and activate caramelization in the sauce, bringing out the fruit’s sweetness.
Fresh Apricots: ensure they are all the same size, as this will help them poach evenly.
Step by step on how to make this delicious apricot dessert
For all my recipes, please gather all the ingredients before you start cooking or baking, and I will guide you every step of the way.
- Split the vanilla bean in half, but be careful not to spread the internal seeds too much.
- In a wide-bottomed saucepan, add the water, honey, sugar, and vanilla bean, cover it, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- In the interim, wash the apricots and remove the pits.
- Add the apricot halves, cut side up, to the saucepan of water, cover, and simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. Your paricots need to be soft but not falling apart. Ripe apricots will cook faster, so give them a look around 2 minutes to ensure they are not falling apart.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the apricots from the saucepan and place them on a serving dish with high sides or in a bowl.
- Bring the syrup mixture to a boil, reduce to 1/2 cup, and pour over the apricots.
- Chill your apricot dessert for about 25 minutes uncovered.
Equipment Needed
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A wide-bottomed saucepan will allow all the apricots to fit side by side.
Love mine and use it all the time. The best investment ever as it perfectly distributes the heat.
Giangi’s Pro Tips
- Cooking the apricots upside down will soften the pulp while keeping the skin intact, making them much easier to eat and, of course, giving them a pretty presentation when served.
- Use local honey if you can, or ensure you are buying 100% pure, unmodified, raw, unfiltered, locally grown honey.
What dishes can you enjoy with this apricot dessert?
Rich yet light, this poached apricot dessert is the perfect ending to any meal.
We enjoyed it with roasted bell pepper sauce, garlic, basil, and pasta. Both dishes are mild in flavor and complement each other well because of their lightness.
Another great combination after the London broil marinade with balsamic glaze. Fruity flavors play and do not overpower each other.
Variations
This perfect poached apricot is not only delicious as it stands, but over vanilla ice cream, it is a whole new experience. Refreshing and satisfying, and since you will be sharing it with a friend, all the calories will be divided between all of you. That is my story, and I am sticking to it.
Storing
Make-ahead: this amazing dessert can be made 1 day ahead, then covered and chilled in the refrigerator.
Store: place in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. I do leave the vanilla bean with the sauce to continue enhancing it.
Bring it back to room temperature if you wish before enjoying them again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze fresh apricots?
Yes, you can freeze them. Wash them, slice them in half, remove the pits, and flash-freeze the pieces on a baking sheet before transferring them to an airtight container. However, the freezing process alters the texture, and frozen apricots are best used to make jams. smoothies or pie filling.
What is the French pastry with apricots?
The famous French pastry specifically featuring apricots is the Oranais, which consists of flaky pastry filled with smooth pastry cream and topped with halved apricots. France has a rich baking tradition; this pastry goes by a few different names depending on where you are in the country.
If you enjoy this apricot recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.
Spiced Lamb Patties and Couscous with Apricots
Honey Vanilla Poached Apricot Dessert
Ingredients
- ½ vanilla bean
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 12 apricots
Instructions
- Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
- In a wide-bottomed saucepan, simmer water, honey, sugar, and the vanilla beans covered for 5 minutes.
- While the syrup is simmering, wash and halve the apricots lengthwise and discard the pits.
- Add the apricot halves, cut side up, to the syrup and simmer covered for about 3 to 4 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.
- With a slotted spoon, gently transfer the apricots to a bowl. Bring the syrup to a boil, reduce to ½ cup, and pour over the apricots.
- Chill the apricot with the syrup for about 25 minutes, uncovered.
Notes
- Cooking the apricots upside down will soften the pulp while keeping the skin intact, making them much easier to eat and, of course, giving them a pretty presentation when served.
- Use local honey if you can, or ensure you are buying 100% pure, unmodified, raw, unfiltered, locally grown honey.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Desserts
- Cuisine: French
- Season: Summer
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Under 45 minutes
Did you make this?
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