Poached Apricots with Tonka Bean

Poached Apricots with Tonka Bean Recipe

Ingredients (for 4 people)

400ml cold water

120g caster sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 grated tonka bean*

8 apricots (cut in half lengthwise and pitted)

1. Put the cold water, lemon juice, sugar and grated tonka in a large saucepan. Simmer over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. 

2. Add in the apricot halves and simmer for 2 to 5 minutes, turning once on their other side, until they are just tender. The cooking time depends on the ripeness of the apricots as this fruit is delicate and when cooking it can start falling apart easily.

3. Remove the apricot halves with a spoon and transfer them into a serving dish. Let the poached fruits cool down completely.

4. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil and cook until it has reduced by half. Pour the syrup into a bowl or jug and set aside. For a clear syrup, I like transferring it into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer.

Serve cold on its own with a bit of the syrup drizzled on top for a simple dessert. You could also add some other delicious things to it: ice cream, yogurt, cream, whipped mascarpone cheese, toasted almonds, pistachios etc. or even better, serve it on top of pastry cream in a delicious buttery tart shell!

Bon appétit!

Note: * I am aware tonka bean might not be easy to find everywhere. Just swap for vanilla instead and scrape the seeds of half a vanilla bean into the saucepan with the cold water.