Grilled apricot, honey and goat’s cheese dip
Sweet and sour, perfumed yet bold: a perfect apricot in season can really transform a dish. This will work wonders as a canape, as a light lunch for two on toast, or simply as a starter to share.
Prep
10 min
Cook
45 min
Serving size
4-6 as a starter with bread
Ingredients
½ tbsp vegetable oil
4 apricots (160g), perfectly ripe, stoned and cut into quarters
2 tbsp runny honey
1 lemon, zest grated, to get 1½ tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp
1 tbsp olive oil
50g fresh or frozen and defrosted peas
2 tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp dill, roughly chopped
20g walnuts, toasted and crushed
⅛ tsp aleppo chilli flakes
For the goat’s cheese dip:
150g goat’s cheese, rind removed (120g)
120g ricotta
Flaked salt and black pepper
Method
1. First, marinate the apricots. Put a griddle pan on a medium-high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Lightly oil the pan, then add the apricots and grill for three minutes on each side, until softened and charred. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the honey, lemon juice and oil to make the marinade. Add the apricots and leave to cool completely.
2. To make the dip, crumble the goat’s cheese into a small food processor along with the lemon zest, ricotta and an eighth of a teaspoon of flaked salt. Blitz for 45 seconds, scraping down the sides as you go, until fully incorporated. Remove and put in the fridge until ready to serve.
3. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the peas, blanch for 15 seconds, then drain and plunge into iced water to cool quickly. Once cooled, drain and leave to one side.
4. To serve, spoon the dip into the centre of a large, shallow bowl or plate. Use the back of a spoon to make a large well in the centre. Drain the apricots and reserve the marinade. Put the apricots in a large bowl with the peas, herbs, walnuts, chilli, a quarter-teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of black pepper, toss gently to coat, then spoon into the well. Serve with a tablespoon of the marinade drizzled on top.