email this pageThey’re busy all right, turning out the juiciest dried apricots we’ve ever tasted. Apricot King is an 80-acre orchard in Hollister, Calif., at the end of the Santa Clara valley. Stretching south of San Jose, this valley still yields legendary abundance: garlic in Gilroy, artichokes in Watsonville, and some of the finest apricot orchards in the country, including, of course, Apricot King, a family business since the 1920s.
The Gonzales family oversees every apricot from seed to fruit and beyond, trucking them to innumerable farmers’ markets in central California and the Bay Area. Their farm also produces walnuts, cherries, syrups, and jams—but dried apricots are the backbone of their business and are sold in all varieties: slabs (hand cut), slip-pits (dried a few days with the pit for a slightly nutty taste), over-ripes, and even black and juicy unsulphured dried apricots (sulphur keeps apricots orange as they dry). Now that’s heaven. By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, food writers in Colebrook, Conn.
Dried Apricot Pie
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1 (6-ounce) bag dried cranberries
1⁄2 cup golden raisins
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1⁄2 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1⁄2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Crusts for a double-crust pie
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Combine egg and egg yolk, brown sugar, walnuts, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in dried fruit mixture.
4. Line pie plate with crust; pour in filling and smooth to the edges. Cut second crust into strips; form lattice over pie filling.
5. Bake about 1 hour, or until browned and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before serving. Serves 12.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Relish New American Farmers, "Apricot Heaven," Jan. 2008.
Apricot and Lamb Tagine
Ingredients
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon coriander
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
1 cup dried apricots (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon honey
2. Add lamb; cook, stirring occasionally, until pieces are no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
3. Transfer lamb mixture to slow cooker; add turmeric, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, salt, pepper and allspice. Pour in broth. Stir in chickpeas, apricots and honey.
4. Cover and cook on medium for 4 hours. Serves 6.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Relish New American Farmers, "Apricot Heaven," Jan. 2008.
Apricot Meatloaf
Ingredients
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup chopped dried apricots, divided
2 pounds ground turkey
3⁄4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
6 ounces thin-sliced bacon
2. Purée orange juice, soy sauce and 1⁄4 cup apricots in a food processor until paste-like.
3. Mix turkey, remaining 3⁄4 cup apricots and breadcrumbs in a bowl; stir in shallot, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, rosemary, salt and egg.
4. Form into a loaf in a 13-by-9-inch pan. Lay bacon over top of loaf. Spread apricot purée over top.
5. Bake until browned and glazed and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 165F, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 8.
Recipe by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Relish New American Farmers, "Apricot Heaven," Jan. 2008.
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