Discover the sweet flavor of poached apricots in wine! Poaching apricots in white wine, honey and vanilla intensifies the taste of apricots for a quick and delicious dessert.
A ripe apricot is a thing of beauty, it has a soft but firm flesh (never mealy) and rich honeyed flavor, not as juicy as a peach but just as enchanting. How do you know if you’ve really found a good apricot? Honestly it’s a bit of a gamble but if you’ve landed on some not quite ripe ones a quick poach will save the day.
Poaching apricots in wine is an easy way to turn not ripe fruit into an excellent dessert. Poaching softens and intensifies the flavors of the apricots. A little heat is all that’s needed to draw out the best in under ripe apricots and concentrate their flavor.
Many recipes for poached fruit call for strong spices that can overwhelm the delicate taste of the fruit. I chose to simmer my apricots in an aromatic syrup made from white wine, vanilla and honey to accent their musky floral taste.
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- White Wine – Choose a good quality wine you’d drink on its own not a cooking wine, preferably something light and not overly oaked. You can also use water instead if you want a non-alcoholic version.
- Vanilla Bean – Yes you can use vanilla extract but using a vanilla bean here is worth the splurge and will give the poaching liquid a superior flavor. You only need ½ of one bean.
- Honey – I like orange blossom or wildflower honey paired with apricots but feel free to use your favorite honey.
- Apricots – Blenheim apricots are the best but any variety will do. Choose apricots that are a rosy orange color and are soft but not mushy.
How to Poach Apricots:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- You’ll start by making the poaching liquid by combining the wine, vanilla and honey in a pan and bringing the mixture to a simmer.
- Next place the apricot halves into the pan.
- Simmer the apricots in the liquid until they are tender but not falling apart. (This will depend largely on the ripeness of your apricots.)
- When the apricots are done, transfer them to a serving dish and return the remaining poaching liquid to a simmer and cook until reduced to a syrup.
- Serve the poached apricots topped with the poaching syrup.
Add a little yogurt on the side, a scattering of pistachios and you have a light and easy dessert.
More Recipes with Stone Fruit:
Poached Apricots
Discover the sweet flavor of poached apricots in wine! Poaching apricots in white wine, honey and vanilla intensifies the taste of apricots for a quick and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
- 500ml white wine
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
- ⅓ cup/112g orange-blossom or wildflower honey
- 8 apricots, halved and stoned
- Yogurt for serving (optional)
- Chopped pistachios for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Combine wine, vanilla pod and seeds, and honey in a medium pan. Simmer over low heat until the honey dissolves.
- Add the apricots in one layer.
- Simmer gently, turning once, until they are just tender but not falling apart (about 5 minutes). (The amount of time depends entirely on the ripeness of the fruit, so keep checking.) Do not overcook as you want the fruit to remain intact.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apricots to a serving dish.
- Let remaining liquid simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half and lightly syrupy, strain.
- Serve the apricots yogurt topped with the pistachios if desired. Drizzle with reserved syrup.
Notes
Storage:
Poached apricots and syrup can be made ahead of time and chilled until needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Sneh | Cook Republic says
So simple, so special and pretty. Lovely recipe Sylvie! A great summer time dessert that can be expanded to rice pudding and wine poached fruit in cold weather!
Russell at Chasing Delicious says
I love that peach shot! And everything about this recipe sounds scrumptious.
EA-The Spicy RD says
Unripe fruit is so disappointing-what a delicious save! I'm a fan of all summer stone fruits, but nectarines have to be my favorite, I think in part, because we had a nectarine tree in our backyard when I was growing up. This looks delicious!
Jamie says
These are beautiful! Of all stone fruits I think apricots are the most difficult to find with sweet flavor, perfect to eat so poaching them in that wonderful syrup is ideal. And I love the way you serve them. This is such a lovely summer treat and really an elegant dessert.
El says
What an elegant recipe. So light and refreshing.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
I've seen so many apricot recipes and I've been having cravings already. I must grab some nice fresh apricots. Love how you poached them and had it with yogurt. Looks amazing and delicious!
Baker Street says
The colors and flavors are both lovely! Its healthy and delicious!!