roasted apricots

Every so often I actually have a menu planned and head to the grocery store with a very detailed shopping list. I used to be really good at this, especially when we have a houseful of guests out in Todi. But lately I just can’t be bothered. Planning out a few days of meals, making up a detailed list of ingredients. And then there’s the whole ordeal of actually remembering to take the list with me when I head out the door.

These days in Todi I’m more likely to just grab the keys and the shopping bags, get in the car and hope for the best. My first stop is the vegetable store right outside Ponte Rio. I’ve only started going here in the last year or two, since I never quite realized it was a shop. Big signs with ‘pesche nostrani’ and ‘pollame’ made me think it was a farm. Which you think would have made me stop right away. Whatever. In any case I’m glad I finally discovered it. Better late than never.

Turns out they are indeed a farm. While they also sell wonderful produce they don’t actually grow themselves, it’s the fruit from their orchards that I get really excited about.

The other day I stopped by to stock up. Thinking I’d pick up some lettuce and enough peaches to get us through the next few days I ended up buying four kilos of apricots. That’s a lot of apricots.

But what apricots. They were the kind you always dream of finding: small golden orbs flushed a deep rosy pink. Firm but ripe enough to eat. Picked that morning. I bought them all.

Once home with my bounty, it wasn’t hard to figure out what to do with them. I’d recently attended a dinner at the American Academy of Rome, prepared by the Rome Sustainable Food Project for the Friends of the Academy in Italy. Dessert included slow roasted apricots which I’d been dreaming about ever since. Unfortunately I had never gotten the recipe from Mona and since she was actually up in the air, flying back to the States the day I wanted to cook these, I had to wing it.

I have a feeling this must be near to Mona’s recipe. If you can even call it a recipe. It’s beyond easy but oh-so-impressive. I served the glistening sugar topped beauties atop home made vanilla gelato.

I’m about to go grocery shopping again. And I’ve actually made a list. Apricots are the first thing on it.








Roasted Apricots

apricots
butter
light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180C /350 F
split the apricots in half, taking out the pit.
Place the apricots, split side up, on a large roasting pan.
Place a small piece of butter in the cavity of each apricot half. Sprinkle the fruit with light brown sugar.

Place the apricots in the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, raise temperature to 200C / 400F. Bake apricots until they have soften and begun to brown, about another 15-20 minutes.

Serve on their own, or over ice cream.