Jul 22
2011

Fresh Apricots with Goat Cheese Mousse

in Californian, Dessert, Fruits & Vegetables, Fuji Favorites, Honey, Vote Goat

Fresh Apricots filled with Goat Cheese Mousse

If you walk to the back edge of my parents’ backyard and look down, you will see a steep hill that extends out and down to a street below.  The hill is covered in a variety of palms, ground cover, and fruit trees, and there are rough dirt pathways that zig zag down the hill.  That hill is the bane of my parents’ existence, a never ending source of frustration.  In short, it’s a pain in the neck.  It’s difficult to keep up with, with its steep incline—making irrigation tricky and weeding a nightmare.  Harvesting fruit is a tricky process of balancing and reaching, usually while sweating buckets, because of course most of the fruit is ripe for picking in the middle of Southern California’s hot summer.  Growing up, however, I loved that hill.  I remember one particular summer when my mom sent me and a friend down to pick peaches for her.  We carefully climbed down the precarious slope with plastic shopping bags in hand, ready to unburden the trees whose branches were bowed down with copious amounts of fruit.  I’m not sure how many peaches we actually went back to the house with though, because I have fond memories of my friend and I standing there in the hot sun, gorging ourselves on the ripe juicy fruit, our hands and faces sticky from the juices.  I still look forward to the treasures of “the hill” (as it’s known in our family) ripening.  Granted, I’m not the one who has to deal with the headache of its upkeep, but boy do I love the hill!  A few weeks ago, my mom let me know that the apricots were ready and asked if I wanted any.  Despite the fact that I was leaving to go to Japan in only 2 days, I said “YES!”  Apricots are one of my favorites.

Fresh Apricots

I took home a bag of small apricots, the first pick of the season.  Most of the apricots were still on the green side, forcing me not to take more than I could consume.  On the drive home, thoughts of what I was going to do with the apricots filled my head.  Ultimately I decided I needed to do something simple.

Mild Creamy Goat Cheese

Then I remembered a package of goat cheese sitting uneaten in the refrigerator, and I knew exactly what I was going to do.  The result was so ridiculously simple, yet one of my new favorite desserts: fresh apricot halves filled with a sweet, rich and creamy goat cheese mousse, drizzled with honey.

Apricot half + goat cheese mousse = a little bit of heaven

The mousse uses only a few ingredients and takes less than five minutes to whip up.

Sweet and Creamy Goat Cheese Mousse

Then all that’s left to do is to halve and pit the apricots, pipe the mousse into them, and drizzle a bit of honey over the tops.  The number of apricots needed will depend on their size.  Since the apricots I used were so small, I used a lot.  You could also use a different kind of stone fruit, like peaches, if you wish!  Be forewarned: this stuff is ADDICTIVE.  So addictive that I can’t seem to think about anything else lately. My parents are coming over in a week for a big goat dinner I’m making as a belated birthday present for my dad, and to celebrate Goaterie . . . I think this is going on the menu . . . how convenient . . . .

Apricots with Goat Cheese Mousse

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Fresh Apricots with Goat Cheese Mousse

Makes approximately 6 servings

Fresh apricots, sliced in half and pitted
5 ounces mild, creamy goat cheese
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Honey, for drizzling

1. Beat together the goat cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt until blended and creamy.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

3. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the goat cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold into the cheese mixture. Chill the finished mousse in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Using a pastry bag, pipe the chilled mousse into the apricot halves, drizzle with a bit of honey and serve. (I used truffle honey and it was FABULOUS!)

{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

Nancy@acommunaltable July 22, 2011 at 11:26 am

If you ever need any help with those apricots, let me know:-)!!

Seriously simple, seriously delicious… does summer really get any better??

Hope you had a great visit with your family!

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Katrina July 22, 2011 at 12:24 pm

This sounds so yummy! Love this!

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Krista {Budget Gourmet Mom} July 22, 2011 at 2:00 pm

I am so excited to see this post! I have been patiently (kinda) waiting since I saw the pics on Twitter. That looks fabulous!

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Jenniferq July 22, 2011 at 2:48 pm

I love apricots! This is seriously my favorite time of the year because apricots are in season. And I love goat cheese. What a great way to combine the two. And I love how simple the recipe is. And the best news, there’s still time to whip up this delightful concoction.

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Amy July 22, 2011 at 6:22 pm

This looks and sounds lovely as an afternoon pick me up. So refreshing. There are absolutely cute and fun to eat as well. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.

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Fuji Nana July 22, 2011 at 7:58 pm

Between this scrumptious-looking recipe and a delicious apricot pie I made last week this year, the value of The Dreaded Hill has gone up (no pun intended) a notch. I’m looking forward to tasting this delicacy!

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Alan Cooke July 23, 2011 at 2:21 am

I can see how those could be addictive. They look awesome! Love the goat cheese mousse idea :)

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Fuji Papa July 23, 2011 at 4:10 am

I’ve heard of a cow moose, but never a goat mousse. I’ve been chased by the former, but think I may be willing to chase the latter. Sounds and looks good.

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Mommyof2Girlz/StephD July 23, 2011 at 4:25 am

Yumm this sounds delicious and your pictures are very appetizing!

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Amber July 23, 2011 at 6:49 am

My parents have a huge apricot tree in their backyard… how I wish I lived closer and could snag a few right now… This recipe and these pictures are amazing!!

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Joy July 23, 2011 at 7:01 pm

Those look so cute.

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kitchenvoyage July 25, 2011 at 4:07 am

I just chek my British Seasonal Calendar and yes! the apricots are in season, i can wat to go the next weekend to the organic Hove Fresh Market!

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Kat July 25, 2011 at 1:34 pm

I made these on Saturday for a Potluck and they were such a hit. Everyone loved the mousse so much they had me piping it onto whatever food they had left (tri tip, watermelon salad, crackers, anything including fingers!). This will officially be my dessert of choice for future parties big and small. Thank you!

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Barbara | Creative Culinary July 25, 2011 at 3:24 pm

I want this now. Pretty please? Everything I love AND some whipped cream to boot? I think I’m going to do peaches. Or maybe plums. Or both, yeah…both it is!

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Deliciously Organic July 26, 2011 at 7:46 am

This is a perfect dessert for these steamy hot summer days. I love this! Goat cheese is one of our favorites and I just got apricots in my CSA box. Thanks for the recipe!

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Jem of the South July 26, 2011 at 7:15 pm

I love apricots! This recipe looks so light and refreshing. I will have to try it.

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Fuji Papa August 1, 2011 at 5:07 am

Just had the real deal and they are fantastic! Thank you for the All Things Goat Dinner Bache. I love you.

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JJ August 3, 2011 at 11:29 am

Sounds fantastic! How long can I keep the mousse chilled in the fridge before piping? I’ll need more than 15 mins. Also, would be nice to have leftover mousse afterwards for other applications. Thanks!

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Darla @ Bakingdom August 16, 2011 at 5:41 am

These are gorgeous! So fresh and lovely. What a fantastic recipe.

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Tobias @ T and Tea Cake September 1, 2011 at 6:48 pm

Oh my, while you describing your ‘hill’ makes it sounds so lovely and picturesque, I can surely imagine just how much work it means. I only have a garden with some appletrees and other things, and simply maintaining it is quite time consuming.

I love the simplicity in that recipe. After a day of hard work picking all those apricots, I am sure your mother would appreciate it as well! ;)

Cheers,
Tobias

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) September 6, 2011 at 5:52 pm

@Tobias @ T and Tea Cake, You are so right! The hill is a constant nightmare for my parents! Maintaining my own tiny garden is a nightmare and it’s about 1/50th the size of “The Hill”!

My parents recently had dinner at our house, and I served these apricots for dessert. They both loved them. :)

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