Vanilla Poached Dried Apricots with Whipped Ricotta
If you’re looking for appetizer recipes, charcuterie board ideas or holiday finger foods, these vanilla poached dried apricots with whipped ricotta are a must make. They’re ready in 20 minutes, give an “ohh wow” response (always a good sign) and you barely have to lift a finger.
Vanilla Poached Dried Apricots with Whipped Ricotta
Vanilla Poached Dried Apricots with Whipped Ricotta
Vanilla Poached Dried Apricots with Whipped Ricotta
I have never met a person that doesn't love dried apricots. And there’s a reason for it, they’re amazing. The sweet and sour notes play tug of war on your pallet, while the almost floral fragrance captures something else, a summer scene if one could ever be captured by a flavour. We love it because with dried apricots, we get this flavour all year round.
If you’re not convinced let me ask you this, have you ever reached past a dried apricot on a cheese board for something else? Told you.
With this in mind, I decided that poaching them in vanilla and spices seemed like a really good idea. Pairing them with whipped ricotta and cream cheese - Even better. There aren’t a ton of recipes with dried apricots around, but they’re such an exciting ingredient, and well worth experimenting with.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flavour town.
This is the little plate you make for date night, or a gathering to be served at the start or end of the entertaining moment along with your cheese board. Take it to Christmas or a little Friendsgiving do, and enjoy. It takes all of 20 minutes from go to woah, and most of that time is just the poaching liquid doing its thing.
What to serve with vanilla poached dried apricots with whipped ricotta
Serve with crackers, toasted sourdough or on a little bowl as part of a cheeseboard.
Cooking tips for vanilla poached dried apricots with whipped ricotta
- Let the poaching liquid sit for the full 10 minutes before you put add the apricots, this helps to get the flavours infused into the water and thus, into the apricots.
- Choose a cracker that has an interesting and complimentary flavour to it. I like to use a rosemary flavoured cracker, it’s a very grown up flavour mixing the sweet and savoury but it totally works. Another cracker option would be one that has dried fruit already, you know the ingredients lend themselves to fruityness. I’s say stay away from any ‘cheesy’ flavoured crackers for this.
More tasty little plates
This recipe goes perfectly with a few well considered little plates:
- Figs and prosciutto
- Hot honey halloumi
- Whipped brown butter (serve this with fresh sourdough)
- Caviar and potato chips
- Charcuterie board lunch plate
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
To a pan or small pot, bring water, vanilla bean paste, caster sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat back up to medium, bring the liquid back to a simmer, and add the apricots. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix your cream cheese and ricotta together. Chop your pistachios.
To serve, swirl the whipped ricotta onto a plate, pile the apricots into the centre, scatter over chopped pistachios and drizzle with remaining syrup. Serve with crackers.
Or spread some of the ricotta on toasted sourdough, then pull apart the apricots a little, layer over and scatter over pistachios.
To a pan or small pot, bring water, vanilla bean paste, caster sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat back up to medium, bring the liquid back to a simmer, and add the apricots. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix your cream cheese and ricotta together. Chop your pistachios.
To serve, swirl the whipped ricotta onto a plate, pile the apricots into the centre, scatter over chopped pistachios and drizzle with remaining syrup. Serve with crackers.
Or spread some of the ricotta on toasted sourdough, then pull apart the apricots a little, layer over and scatter over pistachios.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Vanilla Poached Dried Apricots with Whipped Ricotta
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 200g dried apricots
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 3/4 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- To a pan or small pot, bring water, vanilla bean paste, caster sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat back up to medium, bring the liquid back to a simmer, and add the apricots. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix your cream cheese and ricotta together. Chop your pistachios.
- To serve, swirl the whipped ricotta onto a plate, pile the apricots into the centre, scatter over chopped pistachios and drizzle with remaining syrup. Serve with crackers.
- Or spread some of the ricotta on toasted sourdough, then pull apart the apricots a little, layer over and scatter over pistachios.