Ricotta Stuffed Apricots

The other day at the super market I saw these beautiful orange apricots and felt like I really needed to find a way to use them. I decided to experiment with making stuffed apricots with sour cream or ricotta and rosemary.

I ended up trying out both and found that I really preferred the ricotta because there is already a lot of tartness from the apricots so the sour of the sour cream did not counter that flavor enough for me. I added a little bit of finely chopped rosemary and maple syrup to the cheese, scooped the mix into the apricot and broiled it until the cheese was just lightly browned.

The combination was amazing. I tart flavor of the apricots combined with the slightly sweet cheese and woodsy rosemary was amazing. I was mostly amazed at how filling this was considering the small size of an apricot and the small dollop of ricotta it takes to fill the space where the pit was.

This recipe became my breakfast for the next few days and I am sure to revisit it throughout the apricot season.

Enjoy!

2 firm but ripe apricots cut in half with the pit removed
2 tablespoons ricotta
1/8 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary (sprinkle it in starting with half the amount and then taste to see if you want to add the full amount)
2 teaspoons maple syrup plus a slight drizzle for the top

Mix the cheese, rosemary and 2 teaspoons of maple syrup together. Scoop into the place where the pit was in the apricot filling generously. Drizzle very slightly with maple syrup. Broil until lightly browned.

YUM!

My kids preferred to eat the ricotta mix on slices of apple. Another version of this uses cinnamon and vanilla in the ricotta with some maple syrup. This makes a great dip for apples. 

UPDATE: A Vegan Version I just made recently that is amazing:

 You make these the same way as the non-vegan version but I made cashew cheese to go in them instead of ricotta or mascarpone. Here is the deal with cashew cheese:

Fill a large container (that can hold at least 4-6 cups of stuff with 1 cup of raw cashews and the rest with boiled water that has cooled just for a minute or two. Allow it to sit at least 1 hour but it is even better (smoother end result) if you can let it sit all day or over night and most of the day. 

Next drain the water into a measuring cup and add to the cashews about 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/4 cup of the reserved water. Using a very good blender (Vitamix or that sort) or an immersion blender on high speed mix these together until smooth. If it does not seem to be blending you may need to add a bit more water but be cautious about this and take it slow doing it just a tablespoon at a time. You want this to be very smooth and thick about the texture of mascarpone cheese. 

Follow the rest of the recipe as above in the non-vegan version.  

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 8

Okay it is technically still Monday so I guess I am still on track here. Things have been so hectic lately that I just have not had time to be home let alone on the computer. So here is our crazy week of meal plans this week.

Day 1: Butter lettuce salad with asparagus, red potatoes, green beans and balsamic-mustard vinegar dressing. Steak, blue cheese and apricots.
Day 2: Left overs
Day 3: Eggplant Parmesan (fyi: I used italian bread crumbs instead of panko, this is such a yummy dish and super easy once you do it once) served with salad
Day 4: Left overs
Day 5: Boxes, with turkey, hummus wraps, green peas, apples and peanut butter
Day 6: Cottage cheese pancakes: From the wonderful blog Food To Grow.
Day 7: Sesame noodles from another great blog, Not Without Salt.

Recipes:

For the Steak and salad:

Ingredients:
Enough steak to use as a topping for the salad, my family used one that was about 1/2 pound.
1/2 pound both asparagus and green beans.
1 head butter lettuce
1/3 pound new red potatoes, quartered

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Trader Joe's Mixed Seasoning in a grinder (it is a bunch of seasonings like mustard seed, black pepper, garlic, etc in a little grinder)

Mix in a plastic bad and add the steak, allow to sit for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.

Start the grill and allow it to heat. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Wash the veggies and once the water is boiling add the potatoes.  Add the asparagus and green beans after about 5 minutes. Allow to cook until the veggies are tender and the potatoes are able to be poked through with a fork. Meanwhile cook the steak on the grill to your liking (I like very well done but I know I am odd so you are on your own figuring out the timing).

While the steak is cooking make the dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon good mustard with slightly spicy flavor
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon water

Tear the washed butter lettuce into bite size pieces and place on a large plate. Add the potatoes, asparagus, and green beans. Drizzle salad dressing over this. Toss the salad to mix the dressing. Slice the steak and place next to or on top of the salad.

Serve with sliced apricots and blue cheese.