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It is not often that a Korean market evokes memories of my California childhood, but that is precisely what happened a few weeks ago. Having stepped into the busy market in search of beef short ribs, I found myself in the produce section knocking elbows with a crowd of mostly Korean women filling up their carts with a week’s worth of shopping. One produce stand was so crowded I could hardly see between the women to know what it was that was capturing their attention so intensely. Catching sight of the familiar smallish golden orbs the women were vying for, I knew I had no choice but to push my way into that crowd if I was going to get any of those apricots for myself.
Growing up in a small agricultural community in Southern California, it was the heavy hanging of the neighborhood apricot trees that were the true herald of summer. Not more than a quarter mile from my childhood home was a lot of land with several dozen apricot trees. If we were being naughty and could avoid the nasty dogs that protected the land, it was a treat to sneak onto the lot and jump to grab a ripe one hanging down from the tree. If we hadn’t been too naughty (to anyone’s knowledge), our parish priest would let us come fill brown paper grocery bags with the fruit from his tree.
It was from those grocery bags full of apricots that weeks’ worth of summer desserts emerged. When we weren’t stuffing our bellies with the plain fruit until we had belly aches, then we were helping our mother assemble something we called cottage pudding. Using a variation of a recipe from the ancient and revered Fanny Farmer Cookbook, we layered a buttered 9 by 13 inch pan with halved, pitted apricots. A sprinkling of tapioca to thicken the apricot juices was spread over the fruit. Then a simple cake batter, Cottage Pudding, was whipped up and spread to cover the apricots. The cake then went into the oven and what emerged about a half hour later was a homey sort of apricot upside down cake.
I may have thought it bizarre that a Korean grocery store with its bin of apricots would evoke a childhood reverie, but it is really not that strange. Considering apricots have been widely cultivated in many parts of the world from Australia to China to the world’s largest producer, Turkey, I could have been from just about anywhere and found myself entranced with fond memories. It is not clear precisely where the apricot was first cultivated, but there is record of the apricot over 5,000 years ago in China. From China the fruit found its way along the Silk Road into Armenia and eventually the Mediterranean.
In addition to eating the apricot as is there are other ways the fruit is preserved for use throughout the world to last the year. Apricots are commonly dried to be eaten in that form or used in cooking year round. The pit of the apricot contains the seed, or kernel. The kernel is particularly sweet and is used in making the Italian liqueur amaretto as well as amaretti biscotti.
The apricot of my childhood meant summer mischief, sticky hands, and sweet, golden cakes, but the fruit has different meanings depending where you are in the world. In China the apricot is associated with education as it was written by one scholar that Confucius taught his students in an apricot grove. Shakespeare deemed the fruit an aphrodisiac in his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream when the fairy queen tries to woo her love with a medley of lust inducing fruits, including the apricot.
My Midsummer Day Dream was less a love potion and more of fond trip down memory lane. Then again, maybe if I make the kernels into some brewed amaretto, whip up a fluffy upside down cake, and leave my fingers sticky with the naughtiness of my creations, if it is not summer love that I find, then most certainly I will have rekindled an old love, that of the apricot, one of my most beloved summer fruits.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
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A Midsummer Apricot Day Dream
Growing up in a small agricultural community in Southern California, it was the heavy hanging of the neighborhood apricot trees that were the true herald of summer. Not more than a quarter mile from my childhood home was a lot of land with several dozen apricot trees. If we were being naughty and could avoid the nasty dogs that protected the land, it was a treat to sneak onto the lot and jump to grab a ripe one hanging down from the tree. If we hadn’t been too naughty (to anyone’s knowledge), our parish priest would let us come fill brown paper grocery bags with the fruit from his tree.
It was from those grocery bags full of apricots that weeks’ worth of summer desserts emerged. When we weren’t stuffing our bellies with the plain fruit until we had belly aches, then we were helping our mother assemble something we called cottage pudding. Using a variation of a recipe from the ancient and revered Fanny Farmer Cookbook, we layered a buttered 9 by 13 inch pan with halved, pitted apricots. A sprinkling of tapioca to thicken the apricot juices was spread over the fruit. Then a simple cake batter, Cottage Pudding, was whipped up and spread to cover the apricots. The cake then went into the oven and what emerged about a half hour later was a homey sort of apricot upside down cake.
I may have thought it bizarre that a Korean grocery store with its bin of apricots would evoke a childhood reverie, but it is really not that strange. Considering apricots have been widely cultivated in many parts of the world from Australia to China to the world’s largest producer, Turkey, I could have been from just about anywhere and found myself entranced with fond memories. It is not clear precisely where the apricot was first cultivated, but there is record of the apricot over 5,000 years ago in China. From China the fruit found its way along the Silk Road into Armenia and eventually the Mediterranean.
In addition to eating the apricot as is there are other ways the fruit is preserved for use throughout the world to last the year. Apricots are commonly dried to be eaten in that form or used in cooking year round. The pit of the apricot contains the seed, or kernel. The kernel is particularly sweet and is used in making the Italian liqueur amaretto as well as amaretti biscotti.
The apricot of my childhood meant summer mischief, sticky hands, and sweet, golden cakes, but the fruit has different meanings depending where you are in the world. In China the apricot is associated with education as it was written by one scholar that Confucius taught his students in an apricot grove. Shakespeare deemed the fruit an aphrodisiac in his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream when the fairy queen tries to woo her love with a medley of lust inducing fruits, including the apricot.
My Midsummer Day Dream was less a love potion and more of fond trip down memory lane. Then again, maybe if I make the kernels into some brewed amaretto, whip up a fluffy upside down cake, and leave my fingers sticky with the naughtiness of my creations, if it is not summer love that I find, then most certainly I will have rekindled an old love, that of the apricot, one of my most beloved summer fruits.
Grilled Apricots with Ginger Ice Cream and Cookie Topping
Made with biscotti, vanilla ice cream, apricots, vegetable oil, candied ginger
Made with biscotti, vanilla ice cream, apricots, vegetable oil, candied ginger
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 4 apricots
- vegetable oil
- 1 cup candied ginger
- 8 small amaretti biscotti
Remove ice cream from the freezer and let sit out to soften slightly.
Meanwhile, slice apricots in half and remove pit. Brush cut side lightly with vegetable oil. Place apricots cut side down on a preheated grill at moderate heat (can also do this in the boiler, placing cut side up). Cook for about 6 minutes, turning once during cooking.
Chop candied ginger finely. Place biscotti in a re-sealable plastic bag and hit with a rolling pin until cookies are crushed into roughly small pieces. In a bowl or a on a cutting board using a pastry spatula or flat pastry cutter, work softened ice cream with the candied ginger pieces until even incorporated.
To serve, spoon 1/2 cup of ice cream into a bowl. Top with two grilled apricot halves and a couple tablespoons of biscotti crumb topping. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/716-apricots/