How to make honey and thyme apricots with whipped ricotta and mascarpone

Apricots can promise a lot but deliver little. It’s not their fault.

Too often they’re picked too early so they look good but taste either hard or woolly. Choosing apricots can be a bit of fruit roulette.

To up the odds in your favour, go for ones that have that honeyed glow of orange flecked with pinky-red. Pick them up and the skin should be smooth but the flesh slightly yielding.

Give it a sniff – you won’t always get a huge whiff but you should smell apricot.

Back home, eat them out of hand or served simply where they can shine – in this recipe they are warmed with honey and thyme then served with whipped ricotta and mascarpone.

If you’re a fan of apricots – and who isn’t – I’d also recommend adding the new Sardine: Simple Seasonal Provencal Cooking (published by Pavilion) by Alex Jackson to your shelves.

He includes a recipe for a blindingly brilliant apricot and brown butter tart that I’d happily eat every day.

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Serves 4-6

250g ricotta
250g mascarpone​
1 vanilla pod
6 apricots, cut into 6 wedges each
2 tbsp runny honey
30g unsalted butter
3 sprigs lemon thyme, leaves only
1 tbsp white balsamic condiment or white wine vinegar

Place the butter and honey in a frying pan and warm over medium heat. Add the thyme leaves and apricot wedges.

Turn gently in the honey and butter and cook for about 5 minutes, until the apricots are softening but still hold their shape. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apricots from the pan and place them in a bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add the vinegar to the pan juices, stir and heat for several minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly. Pour over the apricots and set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, place the ricotta and mascarpone. Split the vanilla lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add them to the mixture.

Use an electric hand mixer (or you can whisk by hand) to cream the ricotta, mascarpone and vanilla bean seeds – just for a minute to ensure the mixture is smooth.

Divide evenly into small bowls or cups and top with the apricots.

@juliapleonard