Apricot Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-quart wide heavy saucepan
• •2-quart saucepan for the syrup
• •8-inch fine-mesh sieve
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Flat skimmer or shallow spoon
• •Heatproof ladle or flexible bowl scraper

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften the apricots

   Put the halved apricots in the wide saucepan, cover, and set them over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their juices run and the flesh collapses readily beneath the spoon. Very ripe fruit needs no added liquid. Keep the heat restrained at first, because apricots scorch before they surrender their juice.

   If the fruit catches at one small spot, transfer it immediately to a clean pan without scraping the bottom. The untouched fruit is still usable; the scorched layer is not.
2. 2

   Sieve the fruit

   Work the warm apricots through a fine-mesh sieve with a firm ladle or flexible scraper, leaving the skins and coarse fibres behind. You should have roughly 6 1/2 to 7 cups (1.55 to 1.65 L / about 1.7 kg) of smooth purée. A blender can break down the fruit, but it cannot remove the skin and fibre that would spoil the sauce’s silken finish. The sieving is not brigade fuss. It is the dish.

3. 3

   Prepare the syrup

   Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then bring the clear syrup to one full boil and remove it from the heat. Equal weights of sugar and water give the home cook the practical equivalent of the original 28-degree saccharometer syrup. Reserve about 1/2 cup of it, then keep both portions warm.

4. 4

   Boil and skim

   Return the apricot purée to the clean wide saucepan and stir in the larger portion of warm syrup. Bring it to a lively boil over medium-high heat, stirring across the entire pan floor so the fruit cannot catch. Skim away the pale foam as it gathers around the edges. After 3 minutes, begin withdrawing the spoon frequently: the sauce is ready when it veneers the spoon in a thin, even amber film rather than running away in watery streaks.

5. 5

   Correct the consistency

   If the sauce slips from the spoon without coating it, boil for another 30 seconds and test again. If it has tightened into a heavy, jam-like sheet, take it off the heat at once and whisk in the reserved warm syrup a tablespoon at a time until the thin veneer returns. Ça se rattrape. Remember that the sauce thickens further as it cools, so stop slightly looser than you want to serve it.

6. 6

   Flavor and finish

   Remove the sauce from the fire and stir in the Kirsch, if using. When the sauce is destined for pastry crusts, let the boil subside for a minute, then whisk in the cold butter one cube at a time until the surface gleams. Do not return a buttered sauce to the boil. If the butter beads at the surface, the pan is too hot; set its base in cool water briefly and whisk in a spoonful of reserved syrup until the sauce comes together.

7. 7

   Cool and store

   Pour the sauce into clean heatproof containers, leaving them uncovered only until the fierce heat has passed, then cover and refrigerate. Serve cool, at room temperature, or warmed gently according to the dessert. Never boil it again after finishing, especially if butter was added. The spoon should still emerge wearing that fine apricot coat. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This preparation wants ripe fruit. When fresh apricots are out of season, use the same weight of unsweetened frozen apricot halves, thawed and stewed until tender. Fruit canned in heavy syrup makes the final sugar density difficult to control.
• •Use a wide saucepan rather than a narrow stockpot. The larger surface lets water leave quickly, preserving the fruit’s bright perfume while the sauce reaches nappé.
• •Kirsch is optional and should sit behind the apricot, not announce itself first. Taste the finished sauce before adding the full measure.
• •The butter belongs only when the sauce accompanies pastry crusts, crêpes, pain perdu, or another dessert that benefits from a softer gloss. For glazing or folding into other pastry preparations, leave it out.
• •This is not a shelf-stable preserve. Refrigerate it for up to 7 days or freeze it in smaller portions for up to 3 months.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the sauce up to 5 days before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Warm it gently over low heat, stirring often; use a little reserved 28-degree syrup if it needs loosening.
• •The 28-degree syrup can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead and refrigerated separately in a covered container.
• •Freeze the finished sauce without butter in 1-cup portions. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, bring it back to nappé over gentle heat, and add butter only after reheating if the final use calls for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)