Apricots à la Colbert

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2 L) wide saucepan for poaching
• •3-quart (3 L) heavy saucepan for frying
• •Clip-on deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Slotted spoon or frying spider

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the fruit

   Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a wide saucepan, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Lower the syrup to a bare tremble and slide in the apricot halves, skin-side down, without crowding them. Poach for 1 to 3 minutes, turning once, until the flesh yields slightly at the surface but still resists near the stone cavity. Lift each half out as it reaches that point and reserve the syrup. If a pair softens faster than the others, set it aside for the sauce; the four firmer pairs are the ones that belong in the fryer.

   Judge the fruit, not the clock. A ripe apricot may need less than a minute, while a firmer one may need three. Taut skin and slight resistance beneath the spoon are the signs that matter.
2. 2

   Dry and chill

   Reserve one matched pair of poached halves for the sauce. Lay the remaining eight halves cut-side down on a lint-free towel for 10 minutes, move them to a dry patch, and blot the skins and cavities carefully. Set them uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Wet fruit sheds its flour and coating, while properly dried fruit takes a close, even crust.

3. 3

   Build the sauce

   Mash the reserved apricot pair through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Add the apricot preserves and ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved poaching syrup, then simmer gently for 4 to 6 minutes, whisking, until the sauce is smooth, glossy, and coats a spoon lightly. Pass it through the sieve once more if needed. Take it off the heat and stir in the Kirsch. If it tightens too far, loosen it with another spoonful of syrup; if it runs like juice, return it to the pan for another minute. Keep it warm, never boiling.

4. 4

   Reconstruct the apricots

   Divide the cold Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) among the cavities of the eight firm apricot halves, using about 1 tablespoon per half. Press each matching pair together so the rice fills the stone cavities and restores the fruit's whole oval shape. Smooth away rice that bulges beyond the seam, then chill the reconstructed apricots for 20 minutes. If a pair slides apart, the fruit is damp or the rice is too warm. Ça se rattrape: blot the seam, press it together again, and chill until the rice holds firmly.

5. 5

   Paner à l’anglaise

   Arrange the flour, Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and very fine breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Roll each reconstructed apricot in a whisper-thin coat of flour, dip it completely in the Anglaise, let the excess fall away, then cover it closely with breadcrumbs. Press gently around the seam without flattening the fruit. Set the crumbed apricots on a dry rack and chill for 20 minutes so the panure à l’anglaise settles into a firm shell.

   If you see a bare patch, dab that spot with a little Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) and press on fresh crumbs. A complete coat is what seals the rice inside.
6. 6

   Fry at service

   Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan to 355°F (180°C), leaving at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) of empty space above it. Lower in one or two apricots at a time and fry for 60 to 90 seconds, turning gently, until the crumbs are evenly deep gold. Keep the oil above 347°F (175°C); cool fat soaks the coating and gives the fruit time to collapse. If a seam begins to open, lift the apricot out immediately, drain it, and cool it for 5 minutes. Patch the breach with cold rice, flour, Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and crumbs, then chill for 15 minutes before frying it again. Drain every finished apricot on a wire rack, not flat on paper, so the underside stays crisp.

7. 7

   Stem and serve

   Insert one slender piece of candied angelica into the top of each apricot to imitate its stem. Arrange the fruits on a folded white napkin set over a platter, preserving the classical presentation only after the rack has done the real draining. Pour the warm Kirsch-flavoured apricot sauce into a small sauce boat and serve it separately. Bring the apricots to the table at once, while the crumb is crisp and the fruit within is warm. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This dish truly needs fresh apricots that are ripe enough to taste of themselves but firm enough to survive poaching. Canned halves are already too tender and will slump in the hot fat. Outside apricot season, make beignets de pommes instead; they offer the same pleasure of hot fruit and crisp coating while remaining their own proper dish.
• •Use fine, dry crumbs made from plain white bread and pass them through a sieve. Coarse crumbs leave gaps around the curved fruit, and panko produces a rough shell where this dish wants a close, delicate panure.
• •A thermometer earns its place here. The oil must set the egg-and-crumb coat immediately, and colour alone cannot tell you whether the fat has recovered after the first batch.
• •Stir the Kirsch into the sauce away from the heat. Boiling after it is added drives away the clear cherry perfume that should lift the apricot rather than disappear into it.

Advance Preparation

• •Rice Preparation for Entremets (No. 2404) can be made a day ahead, spread in a shallow covered dish, and chilled until firm. The working time for this recipe begins with that finished component ready from its own entry.
• •Prepare the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) on the day of frying and keep it refrigerated for no longer than 4 hours before use.
• •The apricots may be poached, dried, and refrigerated up to 6 hours ahead. The sauce can also be made ahead, then rewarmed gently before the Kirsch is stirred in.
• •The reconstructed and crumbed apricots may wait in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours. Frying is not advance work; it belongs to the final minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 255g)