Clotted Cream With Fresh Apricots

• Servings: 4.

Kaymak is a thick, slightly sweet clotted cream that is made and eaten in Turkey, made from the milk of water buffalos.  While it's often a luxurious breakfast, eaten with bread and honey, kaymak is also served as dessert with fresh or dried apricots, another Turkish ingredient.

In this recipe we've substituted clotted cream or mascarpone for the kaymak since the Turkish original is not available in the U.S., although you can make your own with whole milk and heavy cream.  See our link to Binnur's Turkish Cookbook for instructions.

This recipe calls for fresh apricots but only if it's apricot season and you can find ones that are juicy and sweet.  Otherwise use dried apricots which you can plump up by simmering in a sugar syrup (1 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 stick cinnamon) for 20 minutes, letting the apricots cool in the syrup.

Ingredients

• 4 to 8 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
• 1 cup clotted cream, crème fraiche, or mascarpone
• 1 to 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, shells removed

Directions

1. Place two or four apricot halves (how many will depend on their size) on each serving plate.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the cream with the sugar to taste, adding as much sugar as you want to achieve the desired sweetness.
3. Fill each apricot with about a tablespoon of cream and press two halves together to make a sandwich.
4. Sprinkle with pistachios.
5. Serve immediately.