Apricots

Leda Hoffman from Sonoma, Calif., was looking for a recipe she has lost for making apricot nut bread. She says she especially liked to make this bread around the holidays. Gladys Wilt of Lothian sent in two recipes from her collection for apricot nut bread. I tested the one from "The Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook," published in 1960, because it sounded like what Hoffman was looking for. This recipe makes a very hearty and dense tea bread that is full of nuts and dried fruit.

Marie Racine of Huntley, Ill., was looking for a recipe she had lost for making fruitcake that contained dried apricots and Brazil nuts. I did not receive any reader responses to her query, so I decided to do a little research. The recipe world is loaded with recipes for fruitcakes, from simple, almost quick bread versions, to the more elaborate that can require up to a month of aging and soaking. With Christmas rapidly approaching, I decided to experiment with a recipe for a Christmas fruitcake that I came across on a food blog called Shewolffe.com.

Recently during a weekend visit with good friends, I sampled a fabulous apricot tart. I was intrigued by the description of the recipe. It was not the typical fruit tart baked in a pan with removable sides, but rather a rustic version. My creative friend added an unexpected ingredient: almond paste. I couldn't wait to sample this sweet confection, and after the first bite, I knew it was a winner. Betty Rosbottom writes for Tribune Media Services. EMILY'S RUSTIC APRICOT TART Serves 6 to 8 Crust: 1 cup flour 5 tablespoons yellow cornmeal plus extra for the baking sheet 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick (4 ounces)

Leda Hoffman from Sonoma, Calif., was looking for a recipe she has lost for making apricot nut bread. She says she especially liked to make this bread around the holidays. Gladys Wilt of Lothian sent in two recipes from her collection for apricot nut bread. I tested the one from "The Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook," published in 1960, because it sounded like what Hoffman was looking for. This recipe makes a very hearty and dense tea bread that is full of nuts and dried fruit.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but the dried-fruit aisle is getting bigger. These intensely flavored morsels are worth exploring in sauteed dishes. They're packed with flavor and lend punch to entrees. They're typically high in calories but a little goes a long way. Here, dried apricots and walnuts perk up a quick chicken saute. Renee Enna writes for the Chicago Tribune. Dried-and-True Apricot Chicken With Rice 4 servings -- Preparation time: 20 minutes -- Cooking time: 15 minutes 1 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots 1 package (8.8 ounces)

There's something exotic about fresh apricots, especially when you find them on grocery shelves in the middle of January. Those showing up on produce counters now are from South America; they'll be available until the U.S.-grown crop starts appearing in April.Wherever they come from, there's a lot to be said for apricots, nutrition-wise. They're low in calories (51 per 3 fresh) and have little or no fat, sodium or cholesterol, but they're high in potassium and especially rich in carotene, the plant form of vitamin A.Here's a recipe for fresh apricots guaranteed to put a little sweetness and light into a midwinter meal.

AHHHHHH, APRICOTS. I find myself saying this every July as I fall into my annual apricot trance.I can't resist the fruit. I like their blushing, yellow-orange color, their gracefully sloping sides, their smooth, sensual skin. I even like their seeds. In your mouth, apricot seeds feel much smoother, for example, than the rough, unwelcoming edges of peach seeds. And apricots seeds are almost symmetrical, making them excellent ammunition for slingshots.The slingshot angle attracted me some years ago, when I was a restless youth.

We all entertain for different reasons, and a few days ago my husband and I hosted a small dinner for a very special purpose. Our guest of honor was one of my spouse's college students whose help we desperately needed. As the proud new owners of a flat-screen high-definition television (my spouse's belated Christmas gift), we found ourselves totally in the dark about how this slick, space-age set functioned. Even after a visit from the cable guy and several hours spent poring over the manufacturer's manual, we still couldn't get all the buttons to work.

Apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A, a nutrient essential to good vision. But fresh or dried apricots that have been cooked contain even more beta carotene, an antioxidant the body converts to vitamin A. Cooking the apricot also releases lycopene, an antioxidant, and pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers LDL cholesterol, according to Fight Back With Food by Reader's Digest. This recipe pairs lean chops with dried apricots, both foods high in iron. Iron is more easily absorbed when paired with foods that are high in vitamin C. By cooking the apricots in orange juice, you're not only creating a delicious sauce, but you're also making the iron more available.

I am not sure how to pronounce them, but I do love to eat them. I am talking about apricots, the fruit that looks like orange golf balls and can taste like nectar.Some folks stress the solo sound of the "a" in their pronunciation of apricots, so that the first syllable sounds like "ape." Others emphasize the marriage of the "a" and "p," so that the first syllable sounds something like "lap."I tend to be more of a "lap" than an "ape" kind of guy, at least when it comes to apricots.Whatever the fruits are called, they were in abundance Sunday morning at the Farmers' Market in downtown Baltimore.

This exuberantly fruity, floral white wine is an unusually good value for a viognier. Just slightly off-dry, it offers lively flavors of peaches, apricots, citrus fruits, cherries. minerals and spices. A wine this fresh is best consumed young, though it's not showing any signs of fragility. It's an easy wine to sip on its own, but it would make a great pairing with lobster. 2009 Loredona Viognier From: Lodi, Calif. Price: $11 Serve with: Firm-fleshed fish, spicy Asian dishes

Ah, apricots, the orangish orbs that are smaller and more delicate than peaches. They arrive early in the summer and then vanish in a few weeks. I have a soft spot for apricots. I love their supple skin, their smooth pit and their distinctive, tangy flesh. On a recent morning, I had a yen for apricot pastry. I found three: two exquisite examples of French baking and an innovative take on a gluten-free apricot pastry. Best Bite Patisserie Poupon Address: 820 E. Baltimore St. Phone: 410-332-0390 Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays With its wings of dough, this apricot pastry looked like a snow angel and tasted like something sent from heaven.

Recently during a weekend visit with good friends, I sampled a fabulous apricot tart. I was intrigued by the description of the recipe. It was not the typical fruit tart baked in a pan with removable sides, but rather a rustic version. My creative friend added an unexpected ingredient: almond paste. I couldn't wait to sample this sweet confection, and after the first bite, I knew it was a winner. Betty Rosbottom writes for Tribune Media Services. EMILY'S RUSTIC APRICOT TART Serves 6 to 8 Crust: 1 cup flour 5 tablespoons yellow cornmeal plus extra for the baking sheet 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick (4 ounces)

Apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A, a nutrient essential to good vision. But fresh or dried apricots that have been cooked contain even more beta carotene, an antioxidant the body converts to vitamin A. Cooking the apricot also releases lycopene, an antioxidant, and pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers LDL cholesterol, according to Fight Back With Food by Reader's Digest. This recipe pairs lean chops with dried apricots, both foods high in iron. Iron is more easily absorbed when paired with foods that are high in vitamin C. By cooking the apricots in orange juice, you're not only creating a delicious sauce, but you're also making the iron more available.

We all entertain for different reasons, and a few days ago my husband and I hosted a small dinner for a very special purpose. Our guest of honor was one of my spouse's college students whose help we desperately needed. As the proud new owners of a flat-screen high-definition television (my spouse's belated Christmas gift), we found ourselves totally in the dark about how this slick, space-age set functioned. Even after a visit from the cable guy and several hours spent poring over the manufacturer's manual, we still couldn't get all the buttons to work.

To search for recipes by key word or date of publication, visit baltimoresun.com / taste HERB TIPS BUYING In warmer months, gardeners need only walk outdoors with a pair of scissors to gather rosemary sprigs right off the plant. Supermarket shoppers should use the same standards in looking for rosemary as they would in buying a Christmas tree: Look for silver-green needles that are healthy and fresh. Avoid any yellowing or brittle sprigs. STORING Refrigerate up to one week in a plastic bag. PREPARATION Whole sprigs of rosemary can be dropped into stews, arranged around roasts or stuffed into the cavity of various poultry, especially turkey.

The foundation of many a nourishing, fiber-rich breakfast is a prime staple for cookie-baking as well. Rolled oats contribute a distinctive chewiness and wholesome, toasted-grain taste that rounds out the butterscotch flavor of a classic oatmeal cookie. The only thing better is oatmeal cookies with a surprise ingredient -- dried apricots, coconut or chocolate -- in place of the usual raisins.Makes about 5 dozen cookies1 cup dried apricots1 1/2 cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon each: salt, ground nutmeg and ground cloves3/4 cup butter, softened1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats1/2 cup chopped walnutsCut apricots into thin slivers.

The best way to enjoy an apricot is to eat it whole. It is sweet without being extravagantly juicy. Its flesh is peachlike, but its skin doesn't have annoying fuzz. Moreover, an apricot is an ideal size to pop in your mouth.That is what I did with most of the apricots I bought at the market recently, I popped them in my mouth.I could eat apricots by the bushel. One summer day when I was a kid, no more than 5 years old, a bushelbasket of apricots arrived in our home in Dodge City, Kan. I can't remember whether my family picked them, or whether we bought them from a trucker who had fetched them from the trees of Colorado.

Alchemists have tried for centuries to transform base metals into gold - unsuccessfully, at least as far as we know. But it's a lovely concept: Take the common and uninspiring - lead, copper, prunes - and change it into something glorious. Prunes? Though dried fruit can be tasty right out of the box - the lunchbox anyway - it's even better with a little transformation. But you don't need medieval textbooks to do it; all you need is a well-stocked pantry or, even better, a good liquor cabinet.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but the dried-fruit aisle is getting bigger. These intensely flavored morsels are worth exploring in sauteed dishes. They're packed with flavor and lend punch to entrees. They're typically high in calories but a little goes a long way. Here, dried apricots and walnuts perk up a quick chicken saute. Renee Enna writes for the Chicago Tribune. Dried-and-True Apricot Chicken With Rice 4 servings -- Preparation time: 20 minutes -- Cooking time: 15 minutes 1 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots 1 package (8.8 ounces)