Disclaimer: After having made this recipe again, I’ve decided I prefer the two components separate from one another. The nuances of each get lost in the other, and I love them both so much I don’t want to compromise. I’ve kept the recipe as it was originally intended, but I do prefer enjoying either apricots or panna cotta – not both.

Apricots are one of summer’s most luxurious offerings. The pinky-orange, slightly fuzzy, soft and juicy fruits are delightful on their own, pulled by halves from around the stone and popped into the mouth. They are equally good featured in a recipe designed to enhance rather than subdue their natural qualities. The poaching liquid here is full of elements that seem discordant, but one taste of the sweetly spiced fruit accompanied by a spoonful of tangy panna cotta will transport you to the orchards of Niagara.

A note on handling apricots:

These are very soft fruits, and need to be used fairly quickly after having been brought home. Handle them carefully, avoiding bruising, and do reserve the stones from inside. The stones contain lovely kernels that will impart a bitter almond note when used in baking and cooking – but be careful; too much of this is toxic!

When halving apricots, don’t bother with a knife. Simply dig your thumbs into the top, where the stem was, and pull your thumbs apart, tearing the apricot in half as you go. They will come cleanly away from the stones.

In order to release the kernel from the apricot stone, use a hammer and work on a cement floor. (Front porch, basement, driveway…it will give the neighbours something to watch.) Place the apricot stone on the cement surface, and smash it with the hammer. If you do it with exactly the right pressure, the stone will smash, leaving the kernel inside intact. If the kernel cracks or breaks, not to worry, it will still work for our purposes here.

This recipe is based on one in Plum Gorgeous by Romney Steele, which is a wonderful book for deliciously sophisticated fruit recipes.

Moscato Apricots

2 pounds apricots, halved and stones reserved (you’ll be using 8 of them for this recipe)

2 cups Moscato wine

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup liquid honey

8 green cardamom pods, cracked (pinch and twist them between your fingers, or squash them with the back of a knife)

2 vanilla beans, pods split and seeds scraped out

4 strips lemon peel

Once the 8 apricot kernels have been liberated, soak them in tepid water for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the Moscato, water, sugar, honey and cardamom to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan. When it boils, add the vanilla bean seeds and pods along with the apricot kernels. Turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apricots and poach them in the syrup 5 minutes or so, until they reach a softness to your liking.

Transfer the poached apricots to jars or a bowl – you won’t be canning these, they just need to fit into your fridge; if you use jars it’s easier to present some as a gift. You know, if you can bear to part with them.

Once the apricots have been removed, turn the heat up again under the poaching syrup to medium high. Boil rapidly until the syrup has reduced and thickened to your liking, at least 15 minutes more. Pour the hot syrup along with the whole spices over the apricots. Chill them completely before using or serving.

*You will likely have syrup left over, and it would be a shame to trash something so delicious. My recommendations: use it as a sundae sauce over vanilla ice cream; churn it into a basic ice cream base in your ice cream machine; use it in cocktails or with carbonated water for Italian soda.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

1 2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup vanilla sugar

1 large strip orange peel

a pinch of saffron, crumbled between your fingers

a dash of salt

1 1/3 cup cold buttermilk

1 tbsp granulated gelatine

2 tbsp liquid honey

2 tsp orange flower water

Heat the cream with the sugar, orange peel, saffron and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove it from the heat and let it steep for half an hour.

Whisk the gelatine into the buttermilk until it has dissolved a bit. Add it back to the cream mixture along with the honey, and reheat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until the gelatine has dissolved and the mixture has thickened a bit. Cool it slightly before stirring in the orange flower water and removing the orange peel.

Pour the custard into ramekins or teacups if you’re intending to serve them upended; if not, you can use whatever cups, glasses, or dishes you’d like. Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and chill them until they are well set.

To unmold the panna cotta, dip the bottom of the dish briefly in warm water, then run a thin knife around the edges. Turn the dish over onto your serving plate, jiggling a little if necessary. Spoon a few apricot halves around the panna cotta, drizzling the top with syrup.