Sinfully Drunk Apricots Recipes

Steps:

• Place apricots in a small bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let sit 20 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop. Return apricots to same bowl and add rum; stir to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Drain into a mesh sieve set over another small bowl or container. Reserve apricots and rum separately.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cinnamon, 3 Tbsp. coconut sugar, and reserved apricots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apricots are slightly softened and coated in caramel, 6-8 minutes. Add reserved rum and cook, stirring often, until thickened and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. (Just FYI: You can eat these drunk apricots right away over vanilla ice cream and be very happy.)
• Toast grains of selim pods and cubeb peppers in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle and let cool. Grind as well as you can. The grains of selim won't completely break up, so cracked open but mostly whole is okay-you just want to release some of their flavor.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook white and red onions, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting brown, 20-25 minutes. Stir in ground grains of selim and cubeb pepper, garlic, ginger, and remaining 1 tsp. coconut sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, prawn powder, and 1 tsp. salt to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add drunk apricots along with any syrup and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes.
• Add tomato purée to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes, then stir in chile powder. Add broth and fresh chile. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until a loose dark brown paste forms, 30-40 minutes. The oil will rise to the surface when the sauce is ready. Remove from heat; taste and season with more salt if needed. If you like texture, leave as is, or blend with an immersion blender (or let it cool slightly and blend it in a blender) to make it smooth. Let cool completely.
• Spoon shito into jars or an airtight container with at least a ¼" layer of oil on top.
• Do ahead: Shito can made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
• Note: The amount of chile described in this recipe is what I would classify as pretty hot-some West Africans might call this medium hot, some very hot. Folks familiar with heat will enjoy this, but if you don't like super-jacked heat you should probably err on the lower end of the range. West African pantry staples can be found at Zoe's Ghana Kitchen.

Steps:

• Pour all ingredients in a mason jar and cover.
• Leave up right the first day and the second day turn upside down.
• Continue doing this every day for 3 wks.
• You dont need to process this and it will keep for over a year.
• Its wonderful to drink or to pour over ice cream or pound cake.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir sugar into water and wine.
• Slit vanilla bean open along the side and spread it apart exposing the tiny dot-like seeds.
• Cut the vanilla bean crosswise into several pieces and place them in the pan.
• Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes.
• Add apricots; shake them to settle them into liquid.
• Heat just until mixture begins to boil.
• Apricots should be tender but not falling apart.
• Cook slightly longer if fruit is still firm.
• Using a slotted spoon, gently remove apricots, leaving liquid in pan.
• With cover off, reduce poaching liquid to about 1/2 cup.
• Remove and discard vanilla bean pieces.
• Pour concentrated syrup over apricots.
• Cool; chill if time permits before serving.

Steps:

• Soak apricots in cold water for 1/2 hour or more.
• Transfer with soaking water to large pan.
• Add sugar, scrape seeds from vanilla beans.
• Add seeds and pod to the pan.
• Bring slowly to a simmer.
• Cook gently till very tender - about 40 minutes.
• Cool then strain.
• Place strained off juice into pot and reduce over heat by 1/3 or.
• till syrupy.
• Cool then serve apricots and juice with cream.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
• Add shortening; stir until blended.
• Dip apricots half-way in the chocolate, shake off excess, cool on waxed paper. Let chocolate set, then refrigerate.