Such a quick and easy recipe for summer. Baked apricots require zero effort for maximum results. Soft, delicious and nutritious apricots in a golden glaze, it makes the best fruity pudding base. Serve on their own for an apricot debut solo, or with ice cream, or sorbet, or cream, or a sponge…

For 4 people, you will need:
2 punnets of fresh apricots
About 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Roughly 20g of butter (no need to measure: just take a generous chunk of butter and chop it into thin slices)

Wash and slice the apricots in half and remove the stones.

Lie them on their backs on an oven dish.

Sprinkle with caster sugar and scatter thin slices of butter across the apricots so that it’s evenly distributed.

Heat the oven to 160°C and bake them for 10 minutes and then turn them over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until they’re poached and bubbling.

And oh-so steamy!

Apricots baked
round and round
felt-like
feels like
soft furry pebbles,
atop a dish
under my fingers
mounds of cheery
larger marbles.