Another apricot recipe! I was going to wait a little while before posting this as I didn’t want to overdo the whole apricot thing, but as they are in season here at the moment I didn’t want you to miss the opportunity to make this dish – it’s pretty damn good! If you’re not lucky enough though to live somewhere with an abundance of apricots – they seem to be eeeeeverywhere here at the moment, so, so good! – you could try another fruit in its place – pear or apple are obvious choices that would work well, and charred orange segments would work beautifully too.
But while apricots are in abundance here, I’ll keep making the most of them! The apricots this season seem particularly delicious, so I’ve been stocking up and I’m planning on freezing some to use in the cooler months. A friend of mine who has an apricot tree in her backyard mentioned that they do the same each year when the tree fruits – wash, stone and halve the apricots to freeze, and then thaw and use in winter – it’s a great idea!
But of those that I have been ‘collecting’ – whether from friends fruit trees or the local farmers market – I have found a new favorite way to prepare them, which is by ‘charring’ them in a hot skillet with a little oil. By cooking them only a few minutes on each side at a high heat, they mostly keep their shape and cook through while caramalising beautifully on the outside. They become instantly sweeter without adding any sugars, and the flavour intensifies.
I’ve been enjoying these apricots with my morning porridge and yoghurt, but this has been my favorite way. The blended buckwheat porridge is made using raw, soaked buckwheat which means that the nutritional profile is boosted. It’s also served cold, which adds a lovely contrast to the hot apricots.
To soak your buckwheat, you simply need to add some water and citric acid (eg lemon juice) and leave overnight. If you wanted to take this a step further, you would try sprouting the buckwheat – I’ve got more information about soaking and sprouting here.
As with all recipes, it’s encouraged that you read the instructions and get the ingredients out and ready before you start cooking. This will help in ensuring an easier and more enjoyable cooking experience.
- 8 - 10 apricots, washed, halved and pipped
- 1 cup buckwheat, soaked
- 1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup milk of choice (I use nut milk)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Prepare buckwheat the night before by adding it to a glass jar, covering with about 1.5 to 2 cups of water and stirring through a splash (around 1 tsp) of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- In the morning, drain and rinse well.
- To make the apricots, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add a few teaspoons of oil - I use coconut as it tastes lovely with the apricots, butter would also work well here.
- Add the apricots, with the skin side facing up. Allow to cook around 2 - 3 minutes until the bottom is starting to char. Note that you only want them just blackened - the apricots shouldn't taste burnt so be careful not to cook too long on either side.
- Flip each apricot, and continue to cook another minute or two on the other side. Remove from heat and use a spatula to move to a plate to stop them cooking further.
- To make the porridge, add the rinsed buckwheat, milk, banana, cinnamon and two of the apricot halves to a blender. Blend until well combined and creamy - this will depend on how powerful your machine is - as a guide, my Vitamix does the job in about 20 seconds, but my older blender would take about two minutes.
- Spoon the porridge into three small bowls and top with two or three apricot halves each.
- Add a sprinkle of nuts or seeds to serve if you like, as well as a drizzle of coconut cream.
This looks so very lovely. I usually roast my apricots to draw out the sweetness and flavour, but will definitely try charring them next time. And the porridge looks like a great summer option. And wow – such gorgeous photos!
Thanks Sarah! I love roasting mine too but I think charring just adds a little more flavour, plus its a bit quicker. Let me know what you think!
I wish it were apricot season here. But I’m not complaining too much because I love persimmon season too. I could probably char persimmons just as well – thanks for the inspiration! Love raw buckwheat porridge. I like how simple and weekday friendly you kept this and that you blended in banana – I haven’t tried that before but will remember to do so!
Oooh, I think persimmons would work so well here! Banana is a great way to naturally sweeten the porridge :)
Those charred beauties look so pretty! What a tasty take on morning porridge :)
Thanks so much Emma!
This porridge! Oh my! It sounds so good and actually quite easy. Love it!
And there’s nothing better than charred fruit. I am so jealous of all your apricots right now :O Enjoy some extra for me, will you? ;)
It is quite simple and not many ingredients, which adds to it’s appeal I think :) I will definitely have some apricots for you honey x
This is plated so nicely but i have a question where do you get you buckwheat from?
Thank you Margaret! Buckwheat can be bought from most health food stores or major supermarkets. Its triangular shape makes te grains look like mini pyramids – make sure to look for the greenish ones which are raw, as opposed to the sandy or brown coloured ones which have been roasted (also known as ‘kasha’).
The apricot thing cannot be overdone, this is so gorgeous. The stone fruit season is so comparatively short. In my opinion it’s definitely worth eating (and cooking) a glut so that you’ll be sick of the sight of them… and you won’t miss them again until next Summer, haha! I cannot wait to try this beautiful breakfast.
P.S. I saw this recipe and thought of you. Did you end up making your own nut milk yoghurt yet? xx
http://thelittleplantation.co.uk/blog/08sep14
I know, I wish the stone fruit season went for just a little longer :)
And no I havent tried nut milk yoghurt – thank you for the link, I’ll check it out! xx