Can I make a pudding with dried apricots?

[meltedmarsbars]

I can only find a recipe for dried fruit compote, and "compote" is too close to "compost" for my tastes.

Surely I can soak them in something and make a crumble or tart?

Any experience to share?

We had a glut of dried apricots (DC went mad for them, then decided that they hated them) so we made the biscuit things from 'We can cook'. Not sophisticated I know, but DCs enjoyed them!

Have you tried reconstituting them and pretending they are "fresh" in a recipe?

Jamie has a recipe for sticky toffee cupcakes where you soak some dried apricots, dates and sultanas and then whizz them in a blender to a paste then add them to the rest of the cake ingredients. The cakes are lovely and moist and sticky - my little dd loves them.

If you are interested I can post the full recipe

bung in pan with enough water just to cover them. bring to boil and simmer very very gently for erm i dunno about 10 - 30 minutes.

serve with plain yogurt om nom nom

also you can make apricot jam with dried apricots

make an apricot tea bread by soaking some in a nice strong tea overnight...

Makes 2 lb loaf
8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz dried apricots
2 oz almonds, chopped
2 oz soft brown sugar
2 oz butter
4 oz golden syrup
1 egg
75 ml milk

Method:

Soak the apricots in hot tea for 1 hour or overnight, then drain and chop. Mix together the flour, apricots, almonds and sugar. Melt the butter and syrup. Add to the dry ingredients with the egg and milk. Spoon into a greased and lined 2 lb loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 1 hour until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Make bread and butter pudding, but spread apricot jam on the bread and sprinkle with chopped dried apricots. I think there's a recipe on the BBC webite somewhere - it's lovely!

I've had a very nice bread and butter pudding made with brioche and dried apricots.

Soak the apricots in tea/brandy/water until they are plump. Mix with chopped apple and cover with crumble mixture. Bung it in the oven. Sorted.

The biscuity things from I Can Cook are pretty good, actually. I think they are called Gold-digger Buns or similar. Basically rock cakes with dried apricots.

The other thing I do with them is chop them up small and mix into chocolate chip cookie mixture. I like to kid myself that this makes it healthy.

I once made Dried Apricot Curd. It tasted good and "apricotty", and could possibly be used in an Apricot Meringue Pie. I will try and look out the recipe tomorrow.

I once made a Winter Pudding, made like summer pudding but with dried fruit soaked in apple juice. I used brown bread to line a bowl, then filled it with dried apricots, dates and raisins, then poured apple juice over and squashed down a plate on top so it was all squished together. I think the apple juice was heated with some sugar to be a bit more syrupy.

This is making me hungry now.

Ooh, lots of ideas here!

Thanks you all, I will have a look and try out some of your suggestions (have very big bag of dried apricots to get through!)

I do bread and butter pudding, and add them to rice pudding too. Home made rice pudding is FAB

delia has recipes for a dried fruit salad and a dried fruit crumble in the cookery bible - ime both v good! I got a bit addicted to the dried fruit salad at one point...

you can make little puff pastry tartlets with just a few dried apricots in each and a little honey, it bakes fast and is v yummy

MeltedMarsBars, Dried Apricot Curd, as promised.

8oz Apricots (dried 'ready-to-eat' or soaked slightly if really dry), 1 Lemon, 2oz Butter, 8oz Caster Sugar, 2 Eggs and very little water.

Cook fruit in very little water until soft. Liquidise and sieve for a fine consistency. Put into a double saucepan (or basin over a pan of simmering water) with the zest and juice of the lemon, the butter and the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then add the beaten eggs and stir until thickened. It must not get too hot.
Pour into hot jars and cover.

Thank you, 4merlyknownasSHD , will get cooking!

I cook the apricots in as little water as possible then either make apricot crumble with something like custard or we eat them hot with cold vanilla icecream very easy very yummy and good for you too (the apricots)

Soak in orange juice and brandy and use in bread and butter pudding.

Chop up and mix with chopped nuts and raisins in chocolate cornflake cakes - yummy!

Chop up and bake in fairy cakes with raisins, grated carrot etc.

Or I think jamie Oliver has a recipe for making them into wine gum like sweets - never tried it though.

I like the idea of soaking them in OJ and Brandy and using them in Bread & Butter Pudding. I might try that tomorrow.

You can make an upside down cake/pudding with them.

Do you soak them first castille ?

No, I don't, but you could if they are the very dry kind.

But I do spread some butter/sugar mix on the base of the tin before putting the apricots in. Yum.

I made a gorgeous apricot chutney last year

They are great in fruit cakes

And I also like them in choc fridge cake

Or just dipped in melted choc and then shove on baking parchment and then fridge til set.

My fave are the Sainsbo's organic ones. Fudgy mmmmm.

Yes - they are v good dipped in Maya Gold.