Baked Apricots (Abricots Rôtis)

Baked apricots are transformed in a few minutes to concentrate their flavour. Bake them with just a little honey and lavender (rosemary or vanilla) and they are ready in 25 minutes.

What Can I do with Tasteless Apricots?

You would think that buying apricots at the Provençal market of Apt would result in an apricot tasting sensation? Wrong. This summer, we were taken by surprise at downright tasteless apricots back home. How on earth could we have got that wrong? They looked good – but we hadn’t tasted one before buying. They were expensive too.

Tonton (uncle) Claude was so annoyed – until I told him they weren’t lost. I’d just bake them. Well, it worked with flavourless tomatoes in this roasted tomato recipe and with roasted nectarines or peaches. He was sceptical at first till he tasted the result for dessert. Like the tomatoes, baking fresh apricots is the best way to eat apricots that lack flavour. Roasting them for only 20 minutes in the oven concentrates their flavour.

So, next time you return home from shopping and tuck into that bag of disappointing apricots, take heart. Here’s how.

What’s The Best Way to Cook Apricots?

This, in my humble opinion, is the best way to cook apricots as they’re quick and easy to prepare. Moreover, baking them in the oven for just 20 minutes concentrates their flavour. Add a touch of lavender or vanilla with some honey and they’re healthy too.

• Just halve them, take out their stones and lay them flat in a glass or porcelain ovenproof dish. Using a metallic dish will toast them more with a higher heat if you prefer a slightly singed finish; a glass/china dish will give a more even bake.
• Dribble over some honey (I used lavender honey but acacia or any other of your favourite is good) and add either some dried lavender flowers, (or a sprig of chopped rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder). Dot each apricot half with a tiny knob of butter and roast in a medium hot oven for 20 minutes.

For more on apricots, see the market apricot page. We love them in apricot jam, in a baked almond clafoutis too.

How to Serve

They can be served on their own for dessert, or with ice cream – either warm or chilled.

Have you tried this lemon verbena ice cream? These baked apricots are heaven together – much like roasted peaches or nectarines done this way too.

For breakfast top them on toasted oats and maple syrup granola or even in savoury dishes.

Roasted Apricots for Savoury Dishes

This recipe is ideal for savoury dishes as no sugar is added to the roast apricots. So, only with a little honey, they’re delicious added to this Chicken Tagine dish. Just replace the prunes with the baked apricots just before serving (so they don’t turn into mush).  It’s divine.

Baked Apricots with Honey

I love to use honey but if you prefer to use sugar, be my guest. How would you enjoy them? Let me know below if you make them. We saw a few dessert menus this summer in Provence pairing apricots and rosemary – give that a try too.