Fresh apricots, three ways.

Apricots reward a little attention. When they are fragrant and ripe, eat them fresh; when the texture is less certain, heat brings out their floral sweetness. These recipes give the fruit three useful directions for a summer kitchen.

Look for apricots with a deep golden color and a scent that is noticeable before you cut them. Firm fruit is well suited to a tart or baked dessert, while very ripe fruit is ideal for jam. Remove the stones before cooking and adjust the sugar to the fruit’s natural sweetness.

Apricot jam with lavender

A lightly set jam with floral lavender and bright lemon.

This quick jam keeps the flavor of ripe fruit clear. Jam sugar with added pectin helps it set without a long boil, so the apricots retain their fresh character.

Place a saucer in the freezer. Put the apricots, sugar, lemon juice and lavender in a preserving pan; stir and leave for several hours, or overnight, until the fruit releases its juice and the sugar dissolves.

Bring to a vigorous boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Test a spoonful on the chilled saucer: when a finger drawn through it leaves a clear channel, the jam is ready. If needed, boil for up to 5 minutes longer and test again. Transfer to warm jars, seal and label.

Apricot tart with redcurrants

Ground nuts protect the pastry from the fruit’s generous juices.

A layer of ground almonds or hazelnuts adds flavor and keeps the pastry crisp beneath the apricots. Arrange the fruit closely so every slice has a generous topping.

Butter a 30 cm tart pan. Lay in the pastry and press it gently into the corners, then prick the base with a fork. Scatter over the ground nuts and arrange the apricots tightly in concentric circles. Sprinkle with sugar.

Heat the oven to 200°C. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the fruit is golden and the pastry is deeply colored. Cool on a rack, then finish with berries and a light dusting of icing sugar.

Baked apricots with orange and cardamom

Soft baked apricots with reduced citrus juice and a cool cream finish.

For fruit that is tart or not quite fragrant enough to eat on its own, bake the halves in orange juice with cardamom and brown sugar. Chill them before serving with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Arrange the apricots cut-side down in one layer in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the juice and scatter with cardamom seeds and sugar. Bake at 220°C for 15–20 minutes, until tender but intact.

Pour the cooking juice into a shallow pan and reduce it by half over high heat. Return it to the fruit, cool and refrigerate. Serve three to five halves per person with the reduced juice, cream or ice cream, and pistachios if desired.