Fruity Apricot and Nutty Pistachio Ice Cream

Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream 05


Lovely fruity apricots in their full summer glory have got to be one of the many treasures found at a Farmer's Market. I just love them. They are right on top of my list with peaches, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Can't you tell I am a summer girl right to the bottom of my tummy? I go into a frenzy every time I visit the Farmer's Market and see all these lovely fruits piled high just waiting to be used in something creative and scrumptious.



So, imagine the ecstasy I was in when I found golden apricots tinted with a wonderful rosey shade. I went and bought several of them thinking that I could use it in a few desserts and of course savoring them pure.





Apricots 01


It was just a week or so before I was due to leave on vacation and I really had to use them all up and after we got through most of the delicious juicy apricots I still had a few leftover. I was certainly not going to waste them. Paging through David Lebovitz' ice-cream Bible The Perfect Scoop I was not surprised that there was a flavor that perfectly matched my current apricot craving.

Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream 04


I won't go into how fantastic I find this book, because I have raved on about it here and here. But the truth is I find myself turning to it every time I think ice-cream.

With this particular ice-cream apricots are paired with crunchy pistachios - giving it an unmistakable elegant note. I was in luck because I had just received my food packet from my mum in Dubai and as always she packed bags of fresh nuts, including fresh Iranian pistachios.

Although David uses dried apricots in his recipe I chose to use fresh ones and instead of using white wine I used white grape juice as I have my 5 year old who is forever ready to try out my ice-cream creations.

So, I found myself making a delicious combination for my ice-cream mingle, the roundup you will find here.



Reminder!

The latest Monthly Mingle is one close to my own heart. Earth Food is all about helping to raise awareness for the steps and actions we can take to save our beautiful blue planet. Hope you will find it in your hearts to party with me.
Deadline is August 6th!






Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream 03


Apricot-Pistachio Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz The Perfect Scoop

Ingredients
150g fresh apricots - quartered and then cut into chunks
180ml white grape juice
70g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts - coarsely chopped
130g sugar
250ml cream
250ml milk
Few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice.




Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream 01


Method

Pour the grape juice in a small saucepan and warm the apricots pieces in the liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes, cover and then remove from heat. Allow this to steep for 1 hour.

Purée the apricots in a blender with the sugar, milk, cream and lemon juice. David recommends to do this until smooth but as I preferred to have bits of apricots in my ice-cream I coarsely puréed the mixture.

Chill the mixture thoroughly - preferably overnight. Freeze it in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the chopped pistachio nuts.

You will find more useful tips about ice-creams here.



Apricot Pistachio Ice Cream 06


Verdict

This is a dreamy combination. Fruity, nutty and smooth. I just loved every spoonful - a crunchy pistachio here and a soft juicy apricot there. It's just amazing how the three of us are being transformed from choco addicts to discovering the truly heavenly flavors of fruit and nuts. Thanks to David!


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21 comments:

  1. Wow, that looks amazing. I love the color (and it probably tastes pretty good too)! This is definately going in the "to be made" box. Hope you had a nice vacation :)

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  2. I see pistachio's in so many things these days and I am so jealous because I have a hard time finding ones that are not heavily salted. I'm going to keep looking so I can try this out. I LOVE that book, too!!

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  3. I just finished eating one whole bag of local-grown apricots. Am not creative as you are :)

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  4. ahh! just the recipe i had had my eyes on in david's book! i made an apricot & pistachio jam last year and will certainly try this recipe as well. good to see that it works just as well with fresh fruit!

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  5. Sounds divine! You know how much i love pistachios... :)

    I've tried 'Falling Cloudberries' pistachio ice cream ages ago. You've just made me crave it!

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  6. You can always make me crave whatever you put up here but this is really giving me a very strong call! My dad would love the pistachio and I'm totally keen on the appricote.

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  7. The ice cream looks heavenly..am sure your little one would enjoy it...great recipe...

    Hope you enjoyed your vacation...where are your vacation photos?...

    Srivalli
    www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

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  8. Meeta, this ice cream looks ridiculously luscious and tasty! I can only imagine how good it would taste as I have no ice cream maker with which to replicate :(

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  9. Yummy! We love apricots, fresh, dried, tinned, however and with pistachios. Lovely!

    Now lovely, where did you go on holiday or have I missed something?

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  10. Now my brain is thinking how I could make this into a sorbet .........

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  11. What a delicious way of pairing apricots and pistachios, Meeta! It looks refreshingly decadent! :)

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  12. Simple, lovely and perfect for the mingle.

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  13. Those are the most gorgeous apricots I have ever seen. The ones we have in our stores are all bruised and such.

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  14. Wow, you're a great photographer - if only my blog piccies are good as yours...

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  15. This looks heavenly! Truely heavenly! The funniest thing is today I posted about another dessert with fresh apricots and pistachios! How crazy is that?!

    I am going to have to try this!

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  16. Thanks to you all for your lovely comments.

    Georgia, Thanks so much. Hope you'll drop by and let me know how you liked it.

    Deborah, It's true. In Germany too one often finds the salted variety more often. That is one of the reasons I get my mum to send me the nuts from Dubai!

    Suganya, hehehe! Fresh is the best!

    Johanna, it's a wonderful summery ice cream. I like the softness the fresh apricots gave.

    Mae, yes - I did think of you when I was adding the pistachios to this.

    Tanna, thank you for your motivation. I hope your dad and of course you, enjoy this. Let me know!

    Srivalli, Soeren did enjoy this very much. Holiday pics are up on the post after this one.

    Baking Soda, thank you so much!

    Ellie, hey simply use your hand blender. Put in the the freezer for about an hour, take it out then give it a good blend, back in the freezer etc. do this a few times and you have a great ice cream!

    Amanda, trust me your boys will love this. Where I went? Check the post that follows this one!

    Isis, hmmn - probably only using the apricots. Let me know!

    Pat, it was. Thanks!

    Elle, glad to share it with you!

    Cheryl, these are lovely organic ones. Hope you find some nice ones to make this soon.

    Cocoandme, Thanks for that.

    Jenn, I loved your dessert. Thank you for your feedback!

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  17. I love this combo! I'll have to pick up some apricots from the market for this.

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  18. I think those photos are some of my favorite yet. Beautiful!
    This does sound like an amazing blend of flavors.

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  19. YUM! Pistachio is my favorite nut but so sad, I became allergic to stone fruits in my late 20's... Looks absolutely scrumptious though...

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  20. This sounds so good! Pistashio is my favorite ice cream flavor and I do love apricots. I love the use of grape juice too. Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta