Sacramento Digs Gardening: A simple showcase for golden apricots

Baked apricots in almond cream — Apricots baked in almond cream is an easy summer dessert. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

A golden fruit for the Golden State, apricots are a favorite California delicacy, especially in June at the start of summer. Fragile and delicate, apricots feel special. I try to treasure everyone I pick.

I've loved apricots as long as I can remember. I'm sure I ate them (strained) as a baby. I've enjoyed them ever since.

As a gardener, apricots taught me patience. You have to wait and wait and wait until they're almost just right. Then, wait some more as they continue to soften and ripen off the tree, sitting on the kitchen counter tempting me.

Apricots on a plate — Eight ripe apricots are enough for a delicious dessert.

Growing up with an abundant tree, I assumed all backyard apricot trees would be as equally fruitful. But no; the birds and squirrels are ever opportunistic.

Besides apricot trees in my own yard, I was very pleased to see an apricot among the little orchard at our community garden. In five years, I picked two apricots. Pruning at the wrong time, lack of consistent irrigation, stink bugs and hungry critters made our apricot crops extremely slim. Three years, there were no apricots at all.

But this spring, the community apricot tree finally bore a good crop with fruit to share. I brought home some, but not enough for a pie. Besides, it's too hot to bake a whole pie.

The solution: Skip the crust, cut the cooking time and keep it simple. Let the apricots shine.

This recipe, adapted from Nicole Routhier's "Fruit Cookbook" ( Workman, 1996), can be used with any summer stone fruit. The classic mixture of apricots and almonds smells as good as it tastes. The total oven time is under 15 minutes.

Baked apricots in almond cream
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus more to butter the pan
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond flour or finely ground blanched almonds
8 to 9 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Make the almond cream. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond flour; mix to combine well.

The apricots are ready to be covered with almond cream.

Butter a 10-inch round pie plate or baking dish. Arrange apricots cut side down in prepared dish. Spoon almond cream over apricots, spreading to cover the fruit completely. (At this point, this dessert can be covered and refrigerated for several hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Bake until the almond cream starts to set and the edges are golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the preserves and lemon juice.

Remove dish from oven. Gently spoon the preserves over the baked apricots.

Return dish to the oven and bake until topping is golden brown and bubbly, about 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Remove from oven; the almond cream will not be completely set. Let cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a little whipped cream, if desired.

RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

baking recipes apricots community garden gardening Sacramento stone fruit summer produce produce management

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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