Roast apricot fool

A simple dessert with bold flavour & colour.

A ‘fool’ is one of the easiest and most awesomely named desserts around. The original is simply sweetened stewed or pureed fresh fruit, folded into whipped cream with a sprinkling of crushed biscuits on top. We felt the creamy classic was calling out for a gut loving make-over, so we ditched the sugar and replaced regular whipping cream with cultured cream and came up with an irresistible tangy probiotic packed dessert that all yogurt lovers must try.

Once you own a yogurt maker, the creamy component of a fool is not limited to cream. Try any of these homemade cultured foods:

Greek yogurt
Dripped yogurt cheese
Crème Fraiche
Quark
Coconut yogurt

Choose the ripest apricots with lots of flavour.  You can roast the fruit well ahead as it is best if the puree is very cold when folded into the cream (or yogurt). That way the fool will hold its soft shape perfectly without collapsing. You can either fold the apricot puree in completely or leave pretty folds and swirls.

We serve ours with toasted flaked almonds, but you can serve yours with crushed biscuits such as shortbread or biscotti.

WATCH HOW HERE

INGREDIENTS

8-10 ripe apricots, washed, halved and stoned
1/3 cup honey
1 small cinnamon stick, broken
Juice and zest of half an orange
400ml cultured cream, whipped (or cultured suggestions above)
1 vanilla bean scraped or 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of honey or more to taste
1/3 cup of flaked almonds, toasted (or biscotti)

METHOD 

1.   Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
2.   Combine the orange juice, zest, honey and cinnamon sticks in a large baking pan.
3.   Arrange the apricots, cut side down.
4.   Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and has just started to collapse but still retains its shape.
5.   Remove the cinnamon sticks and set aside to completely cool.
6.   Place 8 halves into a small bowl and puree with a fork. Reserve and chill the best shaped apricots for plating up.
7.   Preparing your cream filling will depend on the cultured food you are using. Cultured cream and homemade crème fraiche will need to be whipped. Yogurt-based fillings may require straining to improve the texture. The thicker and creamier the finish the better.
8.   Add vanilla and honey to the filling and stir to combine. Taste test and add more sweetener if you wish.
9.   Stir in the apricot puree. Store in the yogurt making jar or another airtight container in the fridge until serving.
10.  Spoon the apricot cream filling into serving glasses and top with the remaining apricots and juice from the pan.
11.  Finally, sprinkle with toasted almond or crushed biscotti.
12.  Store the components in airtight containers for up to 5 days.   

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