The Apricot Crisp 'Mistake'

Looks good doesn't it? Don't be fooled. While the flavor was fantastic, it was sour as all get down. Like pain-in-the-side-of-your-cheek, sour. I picked the apricots from my friend Barbara's yard. She was kind enough to let me take a bag full. Her tree was completely bending under the weight of the fruit and they were falling on the ground in a poetic bounty. The apricots that I ate directly from her tree were ripe and sweet, but I didn't taste all of the ones that I picked. I suspect, a few unripe apricots may have made their way into this crisp. Plus, I reduced the amount of sugar that I used because I'm not a big fan of super sugary fruit dishes. I like to taste the fruit. When I took my first bite, I was so bummed.

My neighbor is a chef and he agreed that 2/3 of a cup of sugar for 10 cups of apricots was too little (even for ripe fruit).

Then my other neighbor Mary, had the idea to put it on ice cream. Look, I know, that it seems like a cliche,' everything tastes better when it's on top of ice cream but trust me, she was so right. We used vanilla and good lord. I just would like to state for the record that this, of all the cooking fiasco's I have ever had, had the best outcome. The tart apricots on top of the sweet creamy vanilla ice cream... lets just say I dreamt about this desert. Now of course you could just add more sugar to this recipe and make sure your fruit is ripe and it would be super yummy all by it self, but if you happen to be brave enough to make the sour version, you'll thank me later when the ice cream comes out. I served it at a dinner party and even though we were all stuffed we ate every last crumb. Some mistakes are meant to be.


Apricot Pecan Crisp (Sour or Sweet)
Serves 10

-Apricots
10 c fresh apricots pitted and quartered
1/3 c white sugar (for sweet version 2/3 c)
1/3 c brown sugar (For sweet version 2/3 c)
1/4 c flour
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cardamom

-Crisp
1 c oats
1 c pecans
1/2 c butter cubed
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar

1/2 gallon french vanilla ice cream



The culprits.



De-stone and quarter apricots. Preheat oven 350 degrees.



Add apricots and sugar in a big bowl.



Add flour and spices and toss all together.



In a food processor grind oats flour and pecans into a meal and place in a separate bowl.



Place sugar and butter into processor until Incorporated. Once the butter and sugar are creamed, add the oat/nut/flour mixture until all are incorporated.



Place apricots into a large baking dish and crumble the crisp-topping over the top. Place in your preheated (350 degree) oven for 40min to and hour. The smell will tell you when it's done. Watch for the color of the topping, if it begins to take on too much color before the apricots are tender, you can place a little foil over the top.



The cardamom and pecan flavors mixed with the tart apricots and the creamy vanilla ice cream... Welcome summer. Welcome.