Apricot-Pistachio Crisp: A Dessert in Progress

Saturday has always been pizza night in my family and it’s a tradition my husband and I have continued.

When I was a child, my mother made her pizzas from scratch, using leftovers for toppings. Meatloaf, sloppy joe mix and even wieners were used and we kids loved it. It was pizza!

We invited my mother for pizza on Saturday. It was a busy day with errands, laundry, housework and my 30-minute stint reading Easter stories to a group of children at the local mall.

Yes, we used store-bought pizzas and enhanced them with additional tomatoes, peppers, olives and sausage. I made a Caesar salad and we cracked open a bottle of shiraz.

It was a simple meal, to be sure, but that does not matter. What matters was that we all sat down together and enjoyed each other’s company.

I’m not here to write about pizzas. I’m talking dessert today.

My mother has a sweet tooth. When she is a guest at my house, my practice is to make a low-carb dessert and send most of it home with her.

I surveyed by cupboards and came up with this makeshift dessert, which I consider a work in progress. It was pretty good, but it needs more.

Apricot-Pistachio Crisp


  • 2 cups dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon white flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 15-ounce can apricots in light syrup
  • 1/3 cup sugar-free apricot spread
  • ½ cup syrup from canned apricots
  • 1 cup pistachios, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped salted mixed nuts, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons oat or whole-wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat chopped apricots in flour, cinnamon and fructose (see photo above). Set aside. Drain, reserving liquid. Chop or even puree canned apricots. Pour into bowl of dried apricots and toss.

Empty this mix into greased bar pan. Blend apricot spread with 1/cup apricot syrup and spread over dried-canned apricot mix. My thought was that this would help bind apricots.

Mix chopped nuts, flour and fructose. Cut in Smart Balance or butter and blend with nut mix. Spread atop apricots. Bake for 30 minutes or until topping turns golden.

The Verdict? Not bad. It was even better the next day. But it needs something else: More cinnamon and perhaps a dash of ground cloves, perhaps. The topping should have included oatmeal, to make it lighter. And I think next time I will up the amount of pistachios and reduce the other nuts (I used pecans, walnuts and cashews).

Your suggestions are welcome. This is very much a work in progress.

Comments

I'm using more and more of this white whole wheat from King Arthur. I'd probably use that in place of the white flour. I would tend to use almonds and pistachios for the nuts just cause. And I'd add some dried blueberries to the apricots.
Yours looks pretty much fine just as it is!
Unknown said…
Oh yes, almonds — I think there were some in the mix, but not many, relative to to pecans and walnuts.

I have dried blueberries, too, I could have tried that!

Good ideas, Tanna. Thanks!
Anonymous said…
That's a nice tradition you have with your mom.
And that dessert looked very tempting and very yummy!
Unknown said…
Terri, she's got terrible sweet tooth. I was delighted it was so good the next day, too.The dessert I mean.
Farmgirl Cyn said…
Yes, I do love dried apricots, and I think upping the pistachios on a recipe, couldn't be anything but a good thing! How very wonderful that your mom is still around to share a meal with you! A most happy and blessed Easter to you, dear friend Mimi!
Unknown said…
Thanks, Cyn! I must visit you today to see what's happening at your house!
Katie said…
I wonder if it's a Wisconsin thing?
Saturday night wasn't necessarily pizza night when I was growing up but it was a 'minimum' cooking night.
Mon mari's childhood Saturday was always a fancy dinner - which is the tradition for us. Friday and Saturday are the good wine and 2 or 3 course dinner. Sunday, though, is risotto, pasta or....pizza!
Unknown said…
Interesting, Katie!

I've always wondered if pizza on Saturday was a reaction to fish on Friday.

Then there was a huge Sunday noon meal that lasted for hours. I still like those meals, even if they make me sleepy.
Betty Carlson said…
Saturday is pretty much pizza night here too - -we often buy them from the pizza stand that sets up in the village on Saturday evening, or sometimes I make them. It gives me a nice break before gearing up for le déjeuner de dimanche.
Anonymous said…
I love pizza and will be making it again more often now that the A Year in Bread people just did a thing on it. Your peach crisp looks great. I love any dessert with cooked fruit, pie, clafoutis, etc., but I think that crisp is my favorite.

Mary
www.ceresandbacchus.com
I agree with Tanna, almonds would be wonderful here, Mimi.

It looks so delicious, you're a great "scientist". ;)
Unknown said…
Betty, I'm with you on that break before Sunday. I like pacing myself and my kitchen adverntures.

Mary, I, too, like any dessert with fruit, even more so than chocolate desserts, if you can imagine that!

Patricia, you are reading my mind. I am toying with the idea of an almond dessert as I write this...
Unknown said…
This blog is wonderful and interesting, i really enjoyed reading!!! i must to say the apricot is delicious and contain many vitamin. That is why i prefer to eat it frequently. Actually when i bought my house through
costa rica homes for sale i didn´t see an apricot tree. Now i am really happy.

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