Prepare a simple syrup by placing water, sugar, and vanilla beans in a small saucepan and bringing to a boil over medium heat. The apricot kernels-called bitter almonds-will add a delicate almond flavor to the syrup. Remove inner kernels (that look like almonds) and discard pit shards. To do this, place the pits in a clean cloth or towel and tap with a hammer until the shell cracks. Separate apricot halves by gently twisting apart then remove the pits and reserve.Ĭrack open 12 apricot pits and extract the kernels. Divide each apricot in half lengthwise by using a sharp knife to cut along the natural crease of the fruit starting from the stem dimple and continuing around its circumference. Wash the apricots under cold, running water and pat dry. Note: before beginning recipe, wash and sterilize jars as directed in “Hot water bath canning method” below.
First, I halve the apricots, reserving their hard pits to crack open and extract the precious kernels inside-called mandorle amare or bitter almonds-to give the syrup a hint of almond flavor.
Making them is incredibly easy and well worth the little time it takes. But perhaps the purest and most natural way I captured the essence of that special summer was by making these albicocche sciroppate, apricots in vanilla syrup, that I jarred for the winter. I quickly got to work preparing everything I could think of with apricots-jams, preserves, cakes, tarts, breads…even a lovely liqueur. The delicate apricots ripened quickly and I soon realized that we couldn’t possible eat all the fruit au naturel, so I needed to find ways to cook them presto or they’d spoil.
When I saw the sea of beautiful Gold Kist apricots piled on the market stand, I had a delicious déjà vu of my life in Tuscany decades earlier when our fruit trees produced a bumper crop of tiny, sweet apricots like these…all at once! The harvest was so bountiful that we didn’t know where to put them, so every flat surface of my home was covered in blushing little orbs that gave the rooms a warm glow and a magical scent. Since apricots are the first sweet taste of stone fruit in late spring/early summer but have an all-too-brief season, I make their enjoyment last a little longer by preserving them in simple syrup in shelf-stable jars. While I always prepare jam with summer apricots, this fruit was so small and perfect that I decided to make my Apricots in Vanilla Syrup and capture their whole natural goodness in a jar. Carpe diem! That’s the Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” and it was exactly what I did when I spotted the first apricots of the year at my farmers’ market.