If you are not that into pickles these refined sugar free sweet and sour pickled apricots will change your mind. Pickled apricots will liven up everything from baked ham to BBQ, a cheeseboard and so much more.
We are still in January though almost through this first dreary month of the year, still in sugar free land with my recipes.
This time I thought I’d share with you my refined sugar free sweet and sour pickled apricots. These are tart and tangy and just great to serve with cooked ham and a simple baked potato. They are munchable straight from the jar and go well with some bread, cheese and ham too.
Go refined sugar free!
I adore the colour of this preserve, love that brightness especially at this time of year. Just now everything is so dull and dark, and here in Scotland it just seems to be permanently wet and windy too. Opening the fridge and reaching for this zingy jar just makes me smile.
Something else about it makes me smile too. My sweet and sour pickled apricots are seriously easy to make. This one is total simplicity and takes a matter of moments.
Now on a cold, dark, wet and miserable Monday morning what could be more cheering for the kitchen creative – something that is super tasty , looks great and is incredibly easy to make, yep that’s it, perfection!
Dried Apricots
I use dried apricots for this recipe (they are very sweet so you don’t need refined sugar in this recipe), a good old pantry staple that is available year-round in almost any super market.
Don’t go for the sulphure free variety of dried apricots as although they taste the same they are brown in colour so just don’t really look good as sweet and sour pickled apricots. That golden apricot colour is so pretty!
Choose them wisely though as those Savers brands can be really tough, invest a few more pennies for better quality apricots and you will reap the rewards when you add them to your plate later.
Ingredients for sweet and sour pickled apricots
- 350g/12oz dried ready to eat apricots
- 1 tsp cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small dried red chilli pepper
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 250ml/8fl oz sherry vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp clear runny honey
How to make your sweet and sour apricots:
- Sterilise a large wide mouthed jar by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing well and drying for 20 minutes in a moderate oven, or run through the hot wash in a dishwasher if you have one. Remember to do the lid too if it has a separate one.
- Pack the apricots into the jar (I used a 1 pint sized jar here) and add in the cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves and the dried chilli pepper.
- Heat the vinegar along with the honey till you reach a simmer but do not let it come to a boil, just a few bubbles popping round the edges of the pan.
- Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat.
- Pour this over the fruit etc in the jar making sure all the apricots are completely covered. If you need to add some more vinegar just pour some on top.
- Pop the lid on the jar and set aside in a cool dark place for 2 weeks to let the flavours develop.
How long will these keep?
The pickled apricots will keep for 6 months unopened. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.
So there you have it, something tasty, quick to make and easy to handle, oh and just look at how pretty it looks in the jar!
New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in no time at all.
Just check out these handy articles to get you heading in the right direction fast;
How to make great jam and marmalade
How to make chutney and relish
How to sterilise jars and bottles
All you really need for this one is a wee bit of patience to wait till it is ready to eat.
How to serve pickled apricots
These sweet and sour pickled apricots are delicious with any ham recipe, baked ham, sliced cold ham etc.
Add them chopped up to Asian inspired dishes.
Piickled apricots are a great addition to an antipasti platter and a cheeseboard too.
I hope you will enjoy these sugar free sweet and sour pickled apricots.
Looking for more super easy pickles to make, then check these out;
Spanish style pickled cherries
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Sweet And Sour Pickled Apricots
Ingredients
- 350 g dried apricots
- 1 tsp cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dried chilli
- 1 cinnamon stick small cinnamon stick
- 250 ml sherry vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp honey clear runny honey
Instructions
- Sterilise a large wide mouthed jar by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing well and drying for 20 minutes in a moderate oven, or run through the hot wash in a dishwasher if you have one. Remember to do the lid too if it has a separate one.
- Pack the apricots into the jar (I used a 1 pint sized jar here) and add in the cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves and the dried chilli pepper.
- Heat the vinegar along with the honey till you reach a simmer but do not let it come to a boil, just a few bubbles popping round the edges of the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat.
- Pour this over the fruit etc in the jar making sure all the apricots are completely covered. If you need to add some more vinegar just pour some on top.
- Pop the lid on the jar and set aside in a cool dark place for 2 weeks to let the flavours develop.
- The pickled apricots will keep for 6 months unopened. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.
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