apricots as a love language
wintering your summer fruits, and an upside down cake you need to make
During my time working in mental health, I have encountered a number of people who spoke to the cycles of their emotions and mental state, and specifically the apprehension the descent into winter months would bring; as their symptoms would routinely peak with this seasonal shift.
Part of my advice would involve the early establishment of positive routines around sleep, exercise and diet during the summer, when feeling their most mentally robust. The theory being that when the impending decline in outlook came, these positive routines would be strong enough to withstand winter’s weight and support the person’s wellbeing through to spring.
One of the tricky parts about winter is that many of the fruits and vegetables that tend to lift our spirits, through their nutritional content, the emotions we associate with the gathering or eating context (ie the foraging of wild blackberries with whānau, as shared in my previous newsletter), and the eating experience itself (the burst of life from a bite of summer peach, the carefree abandon when you relinquish to its juicy mess dribbling down your chin and onto your fingers), are no longer in season. While the nutrients in some winter kale or orange can make you feel better, it’s really nothing to what a bowl of thawed and warmed stewed stone fruit can do to raise the morale - transporting you straight to summer’s glory with a mere spoonful.
‘Wintering’ is what I like to call it - the art of preserving summer fruits for cold nights, waning daylight and dropping moods. Sending yourself an edible hug for the future, for when it might be just the thing you need to pick yourself up.
If you come to me with a bowl of roasted apricots in August, I’m in love.
So do your winter’s self a favour, and make the recipe below while the fruit is ripe and you’re feeling good.
For this week’s bonus newsletter, there’s also a recipe for an apricot upside down cake which you really must try; it’s equal parts simple and moreishly delicious.
Plus keep scrolling for some other foodie reads I’ve stumbled upon in the past week, that I felt were worth sharing.
Enjoy,
Alby xx
Thyme & spice roasted apricots
Take 1kg fresh sun-kissed apricots, seconds are great (embrace the blemishes), and tear in half to remove the stones. Place the apricot halves in a large rectangular baking tin (about 23cm x 33cm). To the apricots, add 100g caster sugar, 2 tbsp orange blossom water, 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon quill and 100ml cold water. Toss together to evenly coat the apricots, and spread out in a single layer. Bake at 170°C fan-forced for 40 minutes, at which point the apricots will be softened, starting to caramelise, and the roasting liquid will be reduced to a syrup. Remove the whole spices. Use immediately warm (spooned over yoghurt or ice cream), or leave to cool, then refrigerate or transfer to bags/containers and freeze for winter eating.
Apricot, orange & star anise upside down cake
I love the combination of orange and star anise, and when paired with the fruity sweet-yet-tart flavour of apricot it’s comfort cake at its best. The recipe is plant-based, but feel free to swap the vegan butter/spread and plant-based milk for a dairy alternative if that’s what you have. Ground star anise can be found at most Indian food marts, spice stores etc. or you can make your own by grinding whole star anise. If none of these options are available to you, I suggest swapping the ground star anise for Chinese five spice, cardamom or cinnamon.
Hands-on Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
makes one 20-23cm square (or round) cake
Cost estimate: $8.20
Ingredients
50g vegan butter or spread (e.g. Olivani)
150g soft brown sugar
2 whole star anise
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 apricots, stones removed, halved
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
125g caster sugar
100ml canola oil
175ml plant-based milk (soy or oat)
50ml freshly squeezed orange juice
300g plain flour
2 tsp ground star anise
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Grease with oil and line a 20-23cm square cake tin with baking paper.
First make the caramel for the cake. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the vegan butter, 75g brown sugar, whole star anise and lemon juice. Once the sugar has dissolved into the butter, pour the caramel, including the star anise, evenly into the base of the lined tin. Top with the apricot slices, arranged cut side facing downwards in a single layer, four rows of four, to cover the base. The two star anise should fit snugly between the apricots.
For the cake batter, in a large bowl, rub the orange zest into the caster sugar until fragrant. Add the remaining 75g brown sugar, oil, milk and orange juice, whisking together until well combined. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground star anise, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt, until evenly combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together until well combined and no specks of flour remain. Spoon the cake batter over the layer of apricots into the lined cake tin, ensuring the apricots are completely covered and smoothing the top. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, on its own or with a spoonful of plant-based yoghurt.
Alby’s Advice:
Swap fresh apricots for tinned apricots if making in winter, or use whatever fresh seasonal stone fruit you have on hand (e.g. plums, peaches etc.)
Best of the season this fortnight (NZ):
Stonefruit - apricots, nectarines, plums, peaches
Baby Carrots
Summer herbs (basil, coriander)
Green beans
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Aubergines
Cucumbers
Early new season apples
Brain Food:
a vision for what community eating in Aotearoa could like like everywhere
the cost of minimally acceptable nutrition in NZ ~ based on 2023 findings
a guide to bottling fruit - another way to make the most of the stone fruit season
the story behind the condiment that’s taken over the world
evidence for how eating with others does improve your happiness