I scored some awesome fruit a couple of weeks ago at Sam's. Among the treasures we brought home was a big box of Black Velvet apricots. The sign said they were a plum-apricot hybrid, but I think they're mostly apricot.
They have a soft golden flesh with that distinctive apricot texture and fragrance, but they are a gorgeous dark red velvet on the outside.
Beautiful.
Gorgeous.
And tasty.
I paired this luscious fruit with the anise hyssop simple syrup that I made. It was a match made in heaven.
Apricot Anise Hyssop Jam
- 4 cups peeled, pitted and chopped apricots [about 18 apricots]
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup [rounded] Dutch All Natural Jell Lite pectin
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup anise hyssop simple syrup
Combine the apricots and water in a pot with the pectin. Stir well to dissolve the pectin and heat to a boil. Stir constantly until it reaches a full rolling boil that you can't stir down. Boil hard for 5 minutes to boil out some of the water. Add the sugar and the anise hyssop simple syrup. Stir well and return it to a hard boil. Boil 1 minute. Ladle into jars. Process for canning. Makes 2 1/2- 3 pints.
Notes: If you're not afraid of the anise flavor, then double the syrup and put in a full cup. Yum.
