Kuru Kayısı Tatlısı (Turkish Poached Apricots with Ricotta)
This is a light, delicious and easy dessert for entertaining. Türkiye is one of the largest producers of apricots, kayısı. They are grown in abundance during the summer months, and some of the yearly harvest is dried in the sun to be enjoyed all year round. Malatya, a city in the southeast is particularly famous for the quality of its dried apricots, which are exported all over the world. Poaching dried apricots in light syrup brings out their beautiful fragrance. Our thick cream, kaymak, made from the milk of water buffalo is traditionally used in Turkiye, though creamy whole milk ricotta as stuffing also works great, as in this version.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw or granulated sugar
- 2 scant cups (15oz) hot water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 9 ounces soft dried apricots
- 4 1/2 ounces (heaping 1/2 cup) whole milk ricotta
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted pistachios
Instructions
- Make the syrup. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the sugar and hot water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Once boiling, turn to medium-low heat to simmer.
- Poach the apricots. Stir in the lemon juice, followed by the dried apricots. Poach for 20 minutes over a medium-low heat. The apricots will plump up and the syrup will slightly thicken, becoming infused with the apricots’ beautiful fragrance. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Stuff the apricots. Once cool, gently open the split of the apricot. Use small spoons to fill each with ricotta until full and just slightly over-stuffed, placing the stuffed apricots on a large, deep serving platter as you go.
- Finish and serve. Spoon the syrup around the poached apricots. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios to finish.
- To make vegan: Instead of whole milk ricotta, you can stuff the poached dried apricots with 2/3 cup chopped walnuts.
- You can poach the dried apricots in syrup 1–2 days ahead. Once cool, keep in a container, covered, in your refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- This recipe will serve a good crowd of 12 people with about 3 pieces per person.
- You can serve the leftover syrup as a light drink with soda water, ice cubes and fresh mint in small glasses.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 126.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.5g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 2.7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5.4mg | Sodium: 11.3mg | Potassium: 284.2mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 22.7g | Vitamin A: 820.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 36.5mg | Iron: 0.7mg
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