[Chocolate Dipped Apricots]
What would you do with melted chocolate leftover from making orangettes and florentins? Throw it out? You have got to be kidding.
No. The wise thing to do was rummage through my kitchen cabinets for something that would be nice and dippable. And I thus unearthed, oh joy, the large bag of dried apricots I had bought for my Apricot Sticky Toffee Pudding. These little orange nuggets keep remarkably well, and they were still plump and fragrant and delicious. I tried one or two or three just to be sure.
I dropped a few in the bowl of glorious liquid chocolate, stirring them around until they all wore a nice thick coat and all the chocolate was used up. The apricots were left out to dry and harden, then slipped in the little crystal bags along with the other chocolate gifts.
Fruit and chocolate. Simplicity at its very best, the slightly hardened layer of chocolate giving way to the tender apricot chewiness. And one could not find a better mix of chocolate sophistication and ease of preparation. In fact, I think the expression “easy as pie” should be henceforth replaced by “easy as chocolate-dipped apricots”. You with me on this?
Abricots au Chocolat
– 20 dried apricots
– 100 g dark chocolate
Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler (or in a heat-resistant bowl set over a pan of simmering water). Remove from heat. Drop the apricots in the chocolate and stir until well coated. Use a fork to lift the apricots from the bowl, and deposit them carefully on a feuille guitare, a sheet of parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Leave out to dry, preferably somewhere cool and safely hidden from children, chocoholics, or any combination of the two.
This is a good way to use up the melted chocolate leftover from other chocolate confections. You could also dip just one half of the apricots for a pretty semi-dipped effect.
(In such a simple recipe, the quality of your ingredients is key. Try to use the best apricots and the best chocolate you can reasonably afford.)
